Cabbage Rolls

Ground beef, Italian sausage, long grain rice, and plenty of flavorful seasonings are stuffed inside tender cabbage leaves then doused in tomato sauce in this cabbage roll recipe.

Why this recipe works

Cabbage rolls are a true comfort dish stuffed with a variety of different flavors and textures from the rice to the meat and the soft cabbage leaves that hug them together, and they couldn’t be any easier to make. They’re great for meal prepping ahead and throwing in the freezer for those nights you just don’t feel like cooking.

I especially love cabbage rolls with a side of potato pancakes or roasted potatoes for a real stick-to-your-belly meal.

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

MEAT – We used 1 lb of ground beef and 1 lb of ground sausage, but it’s really up to you what you use. You can use a combination of meat or just stick to one. Ground turkey, hot Italian sausage, venison, chicken, lamb, and pork all work great so long as it is grounded/minced. While some recipes call for precooking the meat, there is no need to do so here. It will cook up just fine in the oven.

RICE – Long grain white rice or brown rice can be used. The rice should be precooked before adding to the rolls to ensure doneness.

SAUCE – The tomato soup addition to the tomato sauce adds a little sweetness to the sauce and helps to cut the acidity down a bit. You can add additional herbs and spices to the tomato sauce if desired. However, do not add more salt – the tomato soup has enough already.

How to Make Cabbage Rolls

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. You will need to soften the cabbage leaves in order to make them more pliable for rolling. You can boil or steam the cabbage leaves. I find it easiest to gently remove the leaves from the head of cabbage and place them in a large bowl with about an inch of water at the bottom. Microwave for 2-3 minutes at a time until cabbage leaves are wilted. Drain water from bowl.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, sausage, cooked rice, onion, salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, egg, and 1⁄2 cup of the tomato sauce. Use gloved hands to thoroughly combine all of the ingredients.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining tomato sauce, tomato soup, and an additional pinch of Italian seasoning and pepper, if desired.
5. Place about 1⁄2 cup of this sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
6. Lay one cabbage leaf in front of you and place a large scoop (about 1⁄3 cup) of the meat/rice mixture in the center. Fold the stem side and top side of the cabbage leaf toward each other and then roll up the cabbage leaf sides like a burrito to form a little packet.
7. Place each cabbage packet in the prepared casserole dish.
8. Continue filling and rolling cabbage leaves until the meat mixture is used up and the casserole dish is full. (I made 9 large cabbage rolls.)
9. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the top of the cabbage rolls.
10. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature of the cabbage rolls reach 145°F on an instant read thermometer.
11. Remove aluminum foil and baste the cabbage rolls with the sauce. Bake an additional 10 minutes, uncovered, to thicken the sauce a bit.
12. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Serving Suggestions

Cabbage rolls can be served on their own or with a side of potatoes, dinner rolls, grain salad or opt for something a bit lighter like roasted veggies. Enjoy them warm from the oven with plenty of tomato sauce on top.

More Casserole Recipes

• Beef Enchiladas
• Shepherds Pie
• John Wayne Casserole
• Ground Beef Casserole
• Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
• Cabbage Roll Casserole

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Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage rolls are a true comfort dish stuffed with a variety of different flavors and textures from the rice to the meat and the soft cabbage leaves that hug them together, and they couldn't be any easier to make

4.96 from 68 votes

IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: 9 large cabbage rolls

1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Calories: 419

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 large head of green cabbage
• ▢ 1 lb ground beef
• ▢ 1 lb ground Italian sausage
• ▢ 1 ½ cups cooked long grain rice 1/2 cup of uncooked rice will make 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice
• ▢ 1 small yellow onion diced (1 cup)
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ ½ tsp pepper plus more for sauce, optional
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 tsp Italian seasoning plus more for sauce, optional
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 15 oz tomato sauce 1 can, divided
• ▢ 10.75 oz condensed tomato soup 1 can
• ▢ chopped parsley for garnish

Things You’ll Need

• ▢
  13×9 baking dish
• ▢
  Mixing bowls

Before You Begin

• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• The meat mixture can be varied – you can substitute ground turkey for the ground beef or sausage. Hot Italian sausage would also be a flavorful substitution.
• The tomato soup addition to the tomato sauce adds a little sweetness to the sauce and helps to cut the acidity down a bit. You can add additional herbs and spices to the tomato sauce if desired. However, do not add more salt – the tomato soup has enough already.
• Some recipes pre-cook the meat. The meat cooks up completely in the oven. We did pre-cook the rice to ensure it cooks fully and is tender in the cabbage rolls.
• To freeze – begin by flash freezing uncooked rolls on a baking sheet or in a baking dish until they are firm enough to hold together on their own. Once frozen, transfer them to a large ziptop bag and freeze for up to 5 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, removing them from the refrigerator while the oven preheats. Follow recipe instructions for bake time, adding a few minutes to the cook time if needed.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• You will need to soften the cabbage leaves in order to make them more pliable for rolling. You can boil or steam the cabbage leaves. I find it easiest to gently remove the leaves from the head of cabbage and place them in a large bowl with about an inch of water at the bottom. Microwave for 2-3 minutes at a time until cabbage leaves are wilted. Drain water from bowl.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, sausage, cooked rice, onion, salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, egg, and 1⁄2 cup of the tomato sauce. Use gloved hands to thoroughly combine all of the ingredients.
• In another bowl, whisk together the remaining tomato sauce, tomato soup, and an additional pinch of Italian seasoning and pepper, if desired.
• Place about 1⁄2 cup of this sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
• Lay one cabbage leaf in front of you and place a large scoop (about 1⁄3 cup) of the meat/rice mixture in the center. Fold the stem side and top side of the cabbage leaf toward each other and then roll up the cabbage leaf sides like a burrito to form a little packet.
• Place each cabbage packet in the prepared casserole dish.
• Continue filling and rolling cabbage leaves until the meat mixture is used up and the casserole dish is full. (I made 9 large cabbage rolls.)
• Pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the top of the cabbage rolls.
• Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature of the cabbage rolls reach 145°F.
• Remove aluminum foil and baste the cabbage rolls with the sauce. Bake an additional 10 minutes, uncovered, to thicken the sauce a bit.
• Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cabbage roll | Calories: 419cal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 1046mg | Potassium: 869mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 512IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 3mg

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