Classic Cabbage Rolls

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I've always enjoyed cabbage rolls but didn't make them since most methods were too complicated. This recipe is fairly simple and results in the best cabbage rolls. My husband, Sid, requests them often. They're terrific to share at gatherings with our children and grandchildren. —Beverly Zehner, McMinnville, Oregon

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Ingredients

  • 1 medium head cabbage
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion, divided
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) Italian stewed tomatoes
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
  • 1/4 pound bulk Italian sausage
  • 1/2 cup V8 juice, optional

Preparation

Step 1

In a Dutch oven, cook cabbage in boiling water for 10 minutes or until outer leaves are tender; drain. Rinse in cold water; drain. Remove eight large outer leaves (refrigerate remaining cabbage for another use); set aside.

In a large saucepan, saute 1 cup onion in butter until tender. Add the tomatoes, garlic, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the rice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and remaining onion and salt. Crumble beef and sausage over mixture and mix well.

Remove thick vein from cabbage leaves for easier rolling. Place about 1/2 cup meat mixture on each leaf; fold in sides. Starting at an unfolded edge, roll up leaf to completely enclose filling. Place seam side down in a skillet. Top with the sauce.

Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour. Add V8 juice if desired. Reduce heat to low; cook 20 minutes longer or until rolls are heated through and a thermometer inserted in the filling reads 160°. Yield: 4 servings.

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REVIEWS:

I really like cabbage rolls, but always have trouble with the cabbage leaves, so I developed a casserole version. Put the meat & rice mixture in the bottom of a greased casserole. Keep the tomato sauce thick. spoon some on top of the meat & rice mixture. Chop the cooked cabbage and layer on top. Spoon on some more sauce and sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until meat is done. It tastes like traditional cabbage rolls, but, for me anyway, is lots easier to prepare. By the way, leftovers freeze well.

A word to the wise...pay close attention to the directions! I thought it said cook over medium high heat..not medium low..had a huge mess on my stovetop.lol. Still cooking, but lowered the heat. Preparation time took longer than suggested, but hopefully they will turn out ok.

Excellent, well received comfort food. Thanks for sharing.

A keeper! Whole family loved it! The sauce is so tasty...even DH, who is not a tomato fan, loved this recipe...

These were delicious! The sauce was very flavorful and everyone loved them! The prep time was longer than 30 minutes but definitely worth it. I will be making these again.

Absolutely delicious! My mom, who is a great cook ate them and said "these are the best cabbage rolls I've ever had". Enough said! Takes awhile to make but worth the effort. Once you've made them you realize they really aren't difficult. I use turkey sausage and no V8 juice.

I enjoyed cabbage rolls similar to this recipe when I was growing up, so this recipe hits close to home for me. Now its my family's favorite!

Great recipe. My husband loved it! Really tasty with such simple ingredients. I didn't use the V8 juice.

This sounds good,but I never cook my rice first I just mix it in the meat mixture,need more sauce and longer cook time tho..

This is a delicious recipe. Definitely will be making it again!

The best, taste just like my Grandma's.

Delicious!

Hey harv614-they may not be classic by "old world" definition butI grew up on this type of recipe so maybe they can be called Classic American Cabbage Rolls! I liked them anyway. Please submit your Classic recipe-they sound delicious!

We did NOT like this at all! I wish I hadn't wasted an afternoon making them. I was looking through the Irish section when this popped up and I decided to try it... even though it's Soo not an Irish recipe! Cabbage rolls are Polish/Czech/Russian. You won't find brown sugar, Italian sausage/stewed tomatoes, ketchup or Worcestershire sauce in an authentic recipe... can't figure out how it got the name Classic! They are much healthier/tastier without all of the non-traditional ingredients. Some of us add sauerkraut and bacon to the recipe and our meat is a blend of ground beef and pork... use tomato sauce & juice and leave out all of the other stuff and you will have Classic Cabbage Rolls!

This recipe is great! Wouldn't change a thing.

This is simply the best Cabbage Roll recipe I have ever come across. I did not even need to make modifications to it. It reminds me of my Grandma's recipe from years ago. Love it!

My family loves cabbage rolls and this is so easy to make. I will be making it fairly often.

Serve sour cream with your cabbage rolls - it is very good.

This is an excellent recipe. My husband fell in love with it.

I also add a can of sauer kraut to the tomato mixture and it gives it a wonder different flavor

These are excellent and very similar to the ones my mother used to make.

INSTEAD OF TOMATOES, I USE TOMATO SOUP POURED OVER THE ROLLS. IT GIVES THEM A GREAT FLAVOR!

These are very very good. My mom used to make them all the time. I love them!!!!




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