Polish Gołąbki (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

About This Recipe

Gołąbki (little pigeons) are one of Poland's most beloved home-cooked dishes, wrapped in the gentle arms of every Polish grandmother. Whole cabbage leaves are blanched until pliable, then rolled around a seasoned mixture of pork and rice, and slow-braised in a rich tomato sauce until everything is tender and infused with each other's flavors. They're labor-intensive and completely worth it.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 largewhite or savoy cabbage head
• 500 gground pork
• 1 cuprice, half-cooked
• 1 largeonion, grated
• 2 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 egg
• 1 tspmarjoram
• 1 tspsalt
• 1/2 tspblack pepper
• 2 cupstomato passata
• 1 cupwater
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 2 tbspvegetable oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch the cabbage

   Core the cabbage and place in a large pot of boiling salted water. Separate leaves as they soften, removing them after 2–3 minutes each. Let cool and trim thick ribs.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Combine ground pork, half-cooked rice, grated onion, garlic, egg, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

3. 3

   Roll the gołąbki

   Place 3 tablespoons of filling on each cabbage leaf. Roll from the bottom, fold in the sides, and roll up tightly.

4. 4

   Make the sauce

   Mix tomato passata, water, tomato paste, and a pinch of salt. Fry the base with a little oil.

5. 5

   Braise

   Line a heavy pot with extra cabbage leaves. Place gołąbki tightly in layers, seam-side down. Pour tomato sauce over. Cover and cook on low heat for 75–90 minutes until cooked through and tender.

Variations

• •

  Make with mixed pork and beef

• •

  Add mushrooms to the filling

• •

  Make a gray (beet) version with beet sauce

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 5 days. Flavor improves significantly on day 2. Freeze for 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions