Sweet 'n' Tender Cabbage Rolls

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I've used this recipe for more than 30 years, and the extra time it takes to assemble the rolls is well worth the effort. I always make two batches because they go so fast. You can assemble the night before and cook the next day.—Sonja Benz, Carmel, Indiana

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Ingredients

  • SAUCE:
  • 1 large head cabbage
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup 2% milk
  • 2 cups cooked long grain rice
  • 2 jars (4-1/2 ounces each) sliced mushrooms, well drained
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
  • ............................................
  • 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Preparation

Step 1

Cook cabbage in boiling water just until leaves fall off head. Set aside 14 large leaves for rolls. (Refrigerate remaining cabbage for another use.) Cut out the thick vein from the bottom of each reserved leaf, making a V-shaped cut.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, rice, mushrooms, onion and seasonings. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Place about 1/2 cup on each cabbage leaf; overlap cut ends and fold in sides, beginning from the cut end. Roll up completely to enclose filling.

Place seven rolls, seam side down, in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine sauce ingredients; pour half over cabbage rolls. Top with remaining rolls and sauce. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until a thermometer reads 160°. Yield: 7 servings.
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REVIEWS:

This was a big hit with my family, which normally wouldn't eat cabbage, this will definitiely become a winter staple.

We loved this, left out the sugar..added minced garlic, was delish!

This recipe is excellent. Prep time is well worth it. Leftovers are very good as well.

This was just what I was looking for, a sweet sauce with the cabbage rolls. I halved the recipe but used the full amount of tomato sauce plus added a can of tomatoes with basil garlic & oregano toward the end. Mine was actually cooked in about 4-5 hours on low by the 165° internal temperature of the rolls. Delicious recipe!

My family said yuk to cabbage till they tried these!!! I used canned diced tomatoes instead for the sauce and half the sugar. Yum

Meat was moist and tender, I prefer less rice but the recipe was good.

I omitted the canned mushrooms and par-boiled the rice. I wanted to try this in the oven for those who don't want to use a slowcooker. I baked it for 3 hours at 300 degrees and it was perfect. It is a little sweet but I like my stuffed cabbage that way.

Too sweet.

These were okay. A little too sweet for our tastes. Think i'll add a can of diced green chile's to the sauce and cut down or totally delete the amount of spices, which were a little too strong of a flavor. But the meat was very tender and moist.

This is a wonderful recipe...flavorful, tender, and healthy. Because I usually don't start thinking about dinner until late afternoon, I have found that you can bake these in the oven at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Just baste them once or twice and this method will also work well.

Great recipe. Wonderful flavor. I throw it in the crock pot at lunch and they are ready when I come home. My husband can't imagine cabbage rolls without sauerkraut so I usually throw some between the layers of rolls. Very delicious!

I made these for Sunday dinner, mixing than on Saturday and baking in the oven.

They were DELICIOUS.

I love your tip on freezing the cabbage, is that not half the reason we do not make these more often? And I love the sweet sauce and the crock pot, God Bless You!

When cabbag is on sale, I freeze the whole heads in ziplock bags. When I make stuffed cabbage rolls, I just thaw out a head and the leaves peel right off with no cooking! A great time saver and much easier.

When make the cabbage roll I freeze my cabbage and thaw it instead of cooking. They come out just like cooking the cabbage. The only difference I found was that rolls needed to be cooked a bit longer.

I cook the rice and add it to the uncooked meat mixture when cool. The, proceed as noted.

I have also made a batch and froze them in freezer bags to cook and serve at a later date.

This was absolutely perfect! My husband said they were the best he ever had. With the rest of the cabbage, place in bottom of pan and the cabbage rolls on top, it all goes just as fast. Thank you for the recipe.

VERY delicious! This is one of my favorite recipes. I don't know how the other poster managed to cook them into "tasteless mush". Mine have turned out wonderful every time! I highly recommend this recipe!

Ee love these. I bake them instead of the slow cooker, but they are so good!

First time I have made cabbage rolls. Very yummy. I love the fact that I could make them the night before and be at school all day and come home to dinner ready!

Just plain awful! Turns out like mush and with no flavor!






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