Authentic Polish Cabbage Rolls (Gołąbki) with Tomato Sauce

Top down view of Polish cabbage rolls in single layer topped with tomato sauce.

Authentic Polish Cabbage Rolls (Gołąbki) with Tomato Sauce

Polish cabbage rolls consist of a meat-and-rice filling wrapped in tender cabbage leaves cooked in stock and typically served with tomato sauce. Easy to prepare using simple ingredients they make a delicious meal, perfect for sharing.

Course Dinner, Party Food

Cuisine Polish

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 2 15

Servings large cabbage rolls

Calories 229kcal

Author Monika Dabrowski

Equipment

large shallow oven dish
Large pot
Large mixing bowl

Ingredients

1 large cabbage green/white
2 pounds ground pork 12-15% fat, see *Notes
¾ cup rice uncooked
2 medium onions finely chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1¼ teaspoons Polish pieprz ziołowy sold in Polish stores, see **Notes
1 teaspoon dried lovage
½ teaspoon dried savory
1¼ teaspoon fine sea salt plus lots of freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon oil any
1½ tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups chicken/vegetable stock hot, 1½ stock cubes
3 tablespoons tomato paste or to taste
½ teaspoon sugar or to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare cabbage: Cut about ½ inch off the bottom of the cabbage (the core side) then cut out the core.
Cook cabbage: Place your cabbage in a large pot, fill halfway with water, cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the outer leaves start separating. If the leaves are tender but aren't separating from the cabbage gently pull them away using a fork. Take the leaves out of the pot and continue simmering the cabbage until the next layer is ready to come out.
TIP: If a leaf has come away but isn't quite tender enough place it back in the pot and cook for a few more minutes. Use thick outer leaves or torn leaves to line your oven dish. Reserve a few leaves to cover the cabbage rolls later.
Prepare leaves: Next slice off the thick middle bit from each leaf (the outer part of the leaf, see photo).
Cook rice: Rinse then cook the rice using a little less water than normally (1.5 cups/360ml) with about ⅓ teaspoon of salt. Simmer, covered until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely (without the lid).
Cook onion: Melt ½ tablespoon of butter with the oil, add the onion and cook gently for 12-15 minutes until soft and translucent, stirring often. Do not brown the onion (to preserve its natural sweetness). Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
TIP: At this point preheat the oven to 350F/180C/160 fan/gas mark 4.
Make filling: Combine the meat, rice, onion, herbs, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix with your hand for 3-4 minutes until the filling starts to come together.
Make cabbage rolls: Form a large oval shaped filling meatball and place inside a cabbage leaf. Starting from the thick end of the leaf wrap it around the filling folding in the sides as you roll. Do this as tightly as you can tucking the mixture in with your fingers as you roll (it's easier to do this on a flat surface rather than wrapping the filling while holding the leaf).
TIP: Be generous with the filling making sure you are able to comfortably wrap the leaf around it.
Bake: Arrange the cabbage rolls (with the end bit of the cabbage leaf down) in your oven dish (lined with large cabbage leaves) as close together as possible. Create another layer, if necessary. Pour in the stock, cover your gołąbki with leftover leaves (or parchment paper cut to fit your dish) and place the lid on top (or cover tightly with foil). Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1.5 hours or until tender (bake for about 1 hour if using savoy cabbage). Remove from the oven and carefully pour the gołąbki stock into a bowl (as much of it as possible). You'll need about 1 and ½-1 and ⅔ cups (350-400ml) of stock.
Make tomato sauce: In a saucepan melt 1 tablespoon of butter, add the flour and using a whisk stir energetically until the mixture is creamy. Stir the tomato paste into the stock you've collected then pour this mixture into the saucepan, increase the heat, bring to a simmer then cook gently for about 3 minutes stirring often. Add the sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.
Serve: Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls, scatter chopped dill on top (as an option) and enjoy!

Notes

*The most popular meat traditionally used in gołąbki is pork shoulder.
**If you can't get the recommended herbs you can add a bit of chopped bacon into the filling for added flavour (or mince it along with the meat).
Use tough outer leaves as well as torn or small leaves for lining the oven dish and covering the cabbage rolls (or cover with parchment paper if you don't have enough leftover leaves).
To save time cook the cabbage, rice and onion simultaneously.
You can change the ratio of meat to rice, according to taste.
Wrap the leaves around the stuffing mixture as tightly as possible and arrange the cabbage rolls close together in your dish. The end bit of every cabbage roll should be facing downwards.
The size of your gołąbki will depend on the size of your cabbage leaves. They should contain a generous amount of filling. So use as much as is possible while still being able to comfortably wrap the cabbage leaf around it.
Cooking times will depend on the type of cabbage you use. Mature white cabbage will take the longest to tenderize while savoy cabbage gołąbki may only need an hour in the oven.
Freeze in a single layer in batches in an airtight container. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or in a pan with a little butter.

Nutrition