Golubtsy (Russian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

About This Recipe

Golubtsy are Russia's stuffed cabbage rolls, built from leaves blanched just enough to soften and turn pliable without tearing when rolled. The filling combines ground beef or a beef-pork mix with partially cooked rice, which finishes cooking inside the roll as it braises, absorbing flavor from the sauce around it. The rolls are packed tightly into a pot, seam-side down so they hold their shape, then covered with a tomato-based sauce enriched with sour cream and simmered low for well over an hour until the cabbage turns silky and the filling is fully cooked through. Rushing the braise leaves the cabbage tough and the rice underdone. Golubtsy are deeply nostalgic home cooking across Russia, Ukraine and Poland, the kind of labor-intensive dish usually reserved for a Sunday when there's time to roll dozens of them for the family.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1large green cabbage
• 1 lbground beef
• 0.5 cupwhite rice(partially cooked, about 10 minutes)
• 1yellow onion(half diced for filling, half sliced for sauce)
• 1egg
• 2 tspfine sea salt(divided)
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 2 cupstomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
• 1 cupsour cream
• 1carrot(grated)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 cupvegetable or beef stock

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch the cabbage

   Core the cabbage and boil it whole for 5-8 minutes until outer leaves soften enough to peel off. Peel off 12-14 leaves, trimming the thick central rib flat.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Combine ground beef, partially cooked rice, diced onion, egg, 1 tsp salt and pepper in a bowl.

3. 3

   Roll the cabbage

   Place a spoonful of filling at the base of each leaf, fold in the sides, and roll up tightly.

   Trim the thick center rib of each leaf flat before rolling — it's what usually causes the rolls to tear or roll unevenly.

4. 4

   Build the sauce

   Heat oil in a wide pot and cook sliced onion and grated carrot 6-7 minutes, then stir in tomato sauce, sour cream, stock and remaining salt.

5. 5

   Braise

   Arrange the cabbage rolls seam-side down in the sauce, packing them snugly. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low for 60-75 minutes.

6. 6

   Check doneness

   The cabbage should be silky and tender and the rice fully cooked through; add more stock if the sauce looks too thick during braising.

7. 7

   Serve

   Serve the rolls with plenty of sauce spooned over the top, with a side of bread or mashed potatoes.

Variations

• •

  Use a mix of ground beef and pork for a richer filling.

• •

  Make a vegetarian version with mushrooms, rice and grated carrot in place of meat.

• •

  Freeze the rolls uncooked in the sauce, then braise straight from frozen, adding 20-30 extra minutes.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days; the flavor improves after a day. Freezes well up to 3 months in the sauce — thaw overnight before reheating gently on the stove.

Frequently Asked Questions