A beloved family favorite, my Polish great grandmother’s stuffed cabbage recipe wraps meat and rice in tender leaves, then simmers everything in a sweet tomato sauce.
Polish Cabbage Rolls are Classic Comfort Food
My dad’s mother is from Poland, so he was raised on my great grandmother’s goลฤ bki, or Polish cabbage rolls. My grandmother prepared this stuffed cabbage recipe for us every time she visited, too. In our house, the hearty, comforting meal has become synonymous with special occasions like birthdays, holidays, and family gatherings.
Goลฤ bki, or Polish stuffed cabbage rolls, get their name from the word goลฤ b, meaning “pigeon,” since their shape resembles the bird. Also known as Golumpki or Kohlrouladen, these rolls are a beloved Central European dish. While the German version may use brown gravy instead of tomato sauce and skip the rice, all versions are delicious.
I made this stuffed cabbage recipe using ground beef. It came out really good. I would do this recipe again however my rolling isnโt as pretty as yours but it sure did taste good and makes a lot and the rolls are large!
– Daria
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Cabbage: you’ll need one very large whole head of cabbage or 2-3 smaller heads of green cabbage. Remove the tough outer leaves, and use a paring knife to cut off the toughest parts of the rib and stem. Savoy cabbage also works well for stuffed cabbage since its leaves are somewhat elastic and have a lovely waffle-knit texture.
- Meatloaf mix: a combination of ground beef, ground veal, and ground pork gives the stuffed cabbage the best flavor. If you prefer, you can substitute with only ground beef.
- White rice: you’ll need uncooked white rice, which you parboil in salted water for about 4 minutes. The rice will finish cooking in the oven. You can use packets of parboiled rice as a shortcut if you like (just skip the cooking instructions on the package).
- Condensed tomato soup: you’ll need a family-size can of condensed tomato soup or two smaller cans. My grandma always used Campbell’s soup (rather than plain tomato sauce), which is obviously not a traditional Polish ingredient. The soup gives the dish a slightly sweet, rich tomato flavor, so just trust me on this one. If using tomato sauce instead of the soup, season the sauce with salt, pepper, and brown sugar. The sauce will also be thinner than the soup.
- You do not need to dilute the tomato soup before adding it to the pot. The tomato sauce will thin as it cooks and combines with the steam.
- Some recipes call for an egg as a binder in the filling; however, my Polish grandmother never used egg in her stuffed cabbage recipe…so I don’t either. The egg is definitely not necessary to keep the filling together.
How to Make this Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe
Even folks who claim to not like cabbage seem to enjoy this meal! The low-and-slow cooking process results in tender, sweet cabbage that has a very mild (almost undetectable taste), so the leaves just serve to hold the filling together. The meat mixture is similar to a meatball! And while the recipe is definitely more involved and time-consuming than most of the meals that I share on this blog, it’s well worth the effort for a special occasion!
- Steam the cabbage leaves to make them soft enough for rolling. See my notes below if you’d rather boil the cabbage or freeze it. Once the leaves are soft, carefully pull them off one at a time and place them on a cutting board.
- Parboil the rice in salted water.
- Sautรฉ the onion in butter in a large skillet on the stovetop.
- Fry the bacon in a large Dutch oven, reserving the drippings in the pot.
- Prepare the filling by combining the meatloaf mix, parboiled rice, sautรฉed onion, breadcrumbs, beef broth, and parsley in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper and up to 1 tablespoon of sugar, if desired. The mixture should be very moist.
- How to roll stuffed cabbage: Place about 2 tablespoons of the meat and rice filling onto each cabbage leaf. It helps to trim off some of the stems from each leaf to make the rolling process easier. Then roll up the cabbage leaves burrito-style! Start at the stem end, roll up slightly, and then fold in the sides and continue rolling. You can use toothpicks to secure the rolls as necessary.
- Place the cabbage rolls seam-side down in a large Dutch oven that’s coated with bacon grease. You can stack the cabbage rolls on top of each other as necessary.
- Pour and spread the tomato soup over top of the cabbage rolls.
- Cover the pot and simmer over very low heat for about 2 hours. The cabbage rolls will slowly steam in the pot so the meat cooks through and the rice becomes tender.
- Serve the stuffed cabbage on a plate, spoon the sauce over top, and garnish with the cooked bacon and fresh parsley.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Prep: 45 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 45 minutes
A hearty and comforting stuffed cabbage recipe with meat, rice, and a rich tomato sauce — just like Grandma used to make!
Ingredients
- 1 ยฝ cups uncooked long grain white rice
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 strips of bacon, chopped
- 1 very large head of green cabbage (or 2 small heads)
- 2 lbs. meatloaf mix (a combination of ground beef, ground veal, and ground pork)
- 2 slices stale bread, crumbled (or about โ cup Panko breadcrumbs)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes)
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (23.2 ounce) can condensed tomato soup (this is the โfamily sizeโ can)
- Optional garnish: sour cream; chopped fresh parsley; chopped fresh dill
Instructions
PREPARE THE INGREDIENTS
- Parboil the rice by cooking the rice in salted boiling water for 4 minutes; drain. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Sautรฉ the onion in the melted butter just until tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, cook the chopped bacon until itโs crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and set it aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the bacon grease in the pot.
- Steam the cabbage in the microwave by placing the cabbage in a pan with about 2 inches of water. Cook for a total of about 10 to 12 minutes, or until tender. I like to do this in increments, every few minutes removing the outer cabbage leaves as they become soft. (NOTE: If you prefer to boil or freeze the cabbage, see those alternative methods in the post below).
ASSEMBLE THE ROLLS
- In a large bowl, stir together the ground meat, parboiled rice, sautรฉed onion, breadcrumbs, beef broth, and parsley. Add salt and pepper and up to 1 tablespoon of sugar, if desired. The mixture should be very moist.
- Place a steamed cabbage leaf on a cutting board. Trim a little bit of the core off of the leaf to make it easier to roll. Place a heaping 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture at the core end of the cabbage leaf (use less filling for particularly small leaves).
- Start to roll, fold in each side, and then continue rolling to seal. Donโt roll the cabbage rolls too tightly.ย The rice expands as it cooks, so cabbage rolls stuffed too tightly might tear or burst in the cooking process, causing that yummy filling to spill out and fall apart. You can use toothpicks to secure the rolls if you like, but itโs not necessary. Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and filling.
- Place the stuffed cabbage rolls seam-side down in the Dutch oven that has bacon grease in the bottom. Stack the rolls, as necessary, and season with salt and pepper. Spread the condensed soup (not diluted) over top.
COOK THE ROLLS
- Cover with the lid and cook over very low heat for 1 ยฝ โ 2 hours.
- Garnish the stuffed cabbage leaves with the reserved cooked, crumbled bacon and fresh parsley and sour cream, if desired.
Notes
The total number of cabbage rolls prepared will vary depending on how many leaves you get from your head of cabbage. The large recipe typically yields at least 22-24 rolls, or enough to serve about 10-12 people.
ย
Nutrition
Serving: 1/12 of the recipeCalories: 373.7kcalCarbohydrates: 36.8gProtein: 18.9gFat: 17.3gSaturated Fat: 7.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 59.8mgSodium: 416.2mgPotassium: 615.8mgFiber: 3.2gSugar: 9.9g
Serving Suggestions
Serve this stuffed cabbage with classic sides like red skin mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, or rye bread to soak up the sauce. It also pairs beautifully with marinated cucumbers, creamed peas, my great grandmother’s potato pancakes, old-fashioned applesauce, or buttery egg noodles.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Freeze: You do not have to cook cabbage rolls before freezing them! Unbaked cabbage rolls are best kept in the freezer in plastic freezer bags. Arrange them neatly in the freezer bags, remove the excess air, and make sure to label and date the bags before freezing. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge, and then bake according to the recipe directions. Prepared leftover stuffed cabbage rolls can be kept in a freezer-safe container like Tupperware storage containers or a baking dish with a lid.
- How to Reheat: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Warm the cabbage rolls in a Dutch oven (covered) over very low heat just until heated through, about 20-30 minutes. Alternatively, you can place the cabbage rolls in an oven-safe baking dish, cover with foil, and warm in a 350ยฐF oven until heated through. Individual portions can be warmed in the microwave for 1-2 minutes on high power. If you want extra sauce for serving the leftovers, simply add another (small) can of tomato soup to the pot!
Recipe Variations
- Instead of steaming the cabbage in the microwave, you can boil the cabbage in a large pot of water until tender. Bring 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of vinegar to a boil, and then add the cabbage (stem side-down). Boil for 10 minutes; turn the cabbage over, and continue cooking for 4 more minutes (or until soft). Allow the cabbage to cool enough so that you can handle it, and then carefully remove the leaves, one at a time.
- Other cooks suggest freezing the head of cabbage and then thawing before stuffing and rolling. This cuts out the step of boiling the cabbage because the freezing and thawing process adequately softens the leaves.
- Slow Cooker Method: Assemble the cabbage rolls as described, but place in a slow cooker that has been sprayed with cooking spray (or spread with bacon grease). Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- If using brown rice instead of white rice, youโll need to boil the rice for 15 minutes before adding it to the meat mixture.
- Add extra flavor to the filling by including garlic powder (or fresh minced garlic) and fresh dill. You might also like to add a splash of red wine vinegar or lemon juice to the sauce before serving.
More Stuffed Cabbage Recipes to Try
Originally published in February, 2020, this post was updated in August, 2025.
Great shout out to Wanda or Baa Chicago. She was such a nice lady. I too have fond memories of her. Her cabbage rolls we delicious. I could taste them now. You made me very happy today for those memories. love Fredda
Thank you, Fredda! I love to keep our family memories alive through the recipes. โค๏ธ Thank you for remembering her, too!
Just had to say that I have always used frozen, then thawed, heads of cabbage for my cabbage rolls! It is a great way to have a head of cabbage on hand. I freeze mine during the Summer when there are lots of available heads of cabbage. The first time I ever made cabbage rolls, I was in a nice grocery store that had pickled (not sweet!) cabbage heads with a recipe for cabbage rolls. That was superb – been making them ever since. I have even frozen some of my cabbages in a pickling solution. I will have to try the meatloaf mix. I have just used ground beef all these years and the mix of different meats sounds good. I, also, use large cans of tomato soup over the top and, sometimes, canned diced tomatoes. Love your recipes! I can find all kinds of ideas and good foods to try!!
Thanks
Awesome, Sherrie! I’m excited to try the frozen-then-thawed method, since it will cut out an extra step. Your pickled version sounds delish! Thanks for your kind note. ๐
My mother-in-law made the best tasting & pretty candied sweet potatoes. All she used was butter, sugar & sweet potatoes, I watched her, wrote down every little drop, smidgeon, or just a little that she did. Mine never looked or tasted like hers. The liquid in her potatoes was thick but not stringy it actually was shiny. Please do you have a good easy recipe for candied sweet potatoes? If you have one that you would share I would be forever grateful By the way my mother-in-law died in the early 1990’s so she can no longer try to help me. Thanks, Lizzy
Hi, Lizzy! I’m sorry, but I don’t. Maybe I should create one, though. Thank you for the idea…I’m adding it to my list! ๐
Cabbage roll look good I will deffitlee try this recipe
I don’t cook much but I will try the cabbage roll
I made this stuffed cabbage recipie using ground beef it came out really good .I would do this recipie again however my rolling isn’t as pretty as yours but it sure did taste good and makes a lot and the rolls are large!
We’re so happy to hear this, Daria! We’re sure you’re rolling skills are great, but it’s the flavor that matters most!