Golumpki Recipe (Polish Stuffed Cabbage)
These authentic Polish Cabbage Rolls are the ideal cold-weather comfort food! Hearty yet wholesome, as the rolls bake in the homemade tomato sauce, the cabbage takes on a buttery texture that melts in your mouth!
Servings: 6
Equipment
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- Salt
- 1 large leafy head green cabbage (or Savoy cabbage)
- 3/4 cup uncooked white rice preferably converted (also called parboiled)
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 7 cloves garlic chopped, divided
- 1 can (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup water to rinse out tomato can
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 2 teaspoons beef bouillon concentrate such as Better Than Bouillon
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar optional and to taste
- 1 pound ground beef preferably ground chuck
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 large egg
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley divided
- chopped fresh dill optional (for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
PREPARE THE CABBAGE:
- Remove as much of the core of the cabbage as possible. Place the cabbage in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until you can easily remove 12 cabbage leaves with tongs. (You may need to help the cabbage leaves off using a knife.)
- Place the cabbage leaves on a rimmed baking sheet to cool. When cool to the touch, cut the large center rib out, creating a V-shape and flaps to fold over the filling. Set aside. Remove the remaining cabbage from the pot and set aside to cool for another use.
COOK THE RICE:
- Using the same water from blanching the cabbage leaves, add the uncooked white rice. Bring back to a boil and cook for 6-7 minutes or until the rice is cooked al dente (to the tooth). (You should be able to bite down on a rice kernel, but there should be resistance. You don't want it cooked entirely or too soft).
- Drain the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold tap water to cool. Drain again. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
PREPARE THE SAUCE:
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes or until it softens. Transfer HALF of the onion to the bowl WITH THE RICE, leaving half in the saucepan.
- Add half the garlic to the onions and cook briefly, 10-15 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, water from rinsing the can, dried marjoram and beef bouillon concentrate. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes or until thickened. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Add a teaspoon of red wine vinegar to taste if desired.
- Pour approximately 1/2 cup of the sauce into the prepared baking dish.
FINISH PREPARING THE FILLING:
- To the bowl with the rice and onions, add the remaining garlic, beef, pork and egg. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and half the parsley. Mix well.
- Divide the filling into 12 even portions.
MAKE THE CABBAGE ROLLS:
- Place a cabbage leaf on a flat work surface. Place 1/12th of the filling on the cabbage leaf right above the V-cut. Fold the flaps over the filling, then roll up. Place the cabbage roll in the baking dish.
- Repeat with the remaining 11 leaves. Pour the remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees in the center of each cabbage roll.
- Garnish with remaining chopped fresh parsley and dill (if using).
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- Can also use Savoy cabbage.
- If the ground meats are super fresh or the packages were just opened, they can be assembled 24 hours in advance.
- If you plan to bake it any later, freeze it after assembling the golumpki, then thaw it in the refrigerator and bake it promptly.
- If you bake the golumpki, cool it down and refrigerate until ready to reheat. Refresh the sauce by carefully moving the golumpki aside, stirring the sauce, and then spooning it back over the golumpki.
- Reheat in a 350-degree oven until heated through to 165 degrees in the center of each cabbage roll, then garnish with fresh parsley and dill as desired.
- BEFORE BEING BAKED (MEAT STILL RAW): Once the cabbage rolls have been assembled and the sauce is added, you can freeze this dish before baking. If the assembled cabbage rolls are frozen before being baked, thaw them in the refrigerator and bake promptly.
- You can also start baking if it is still partially frozen. Place it in the oven, THEN turn it on so the baking dish heats slowly.
- AFTER BAKING (MEAT IS COOKED): If freezing after baking, you can divide the rolls into smaller containers and thaw them in the refrigerator or microwave before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 545kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 116mg | Potassium: 525mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 264IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 3mg