I don’t know where I got this recipe, but I have been using it for well over 20 years. Works well in a slow cooker.
This is your basic recipe for stuffed cabbage that always brings me compliments. I bake this recipe in the oven rather than cooking it stove top. I line my pan with the larger cabbage leaves. I also cover the cabbage rolls wtih additional leaves. This way the actual cabbage rolls stay moist and don’t get burned. I do parboil my cabbage, cutting a few leaves off at a time as they cook. I do add 1/2 to 3/4 cup tomato juice to the meat. This is something my Polish mother always did.
I do make a different sauce. After all the work of making homemade stuffed cabbage rolls, I find it hard to pour tomato soup on top. For one pound of meat, I mix an 8oz. can of tomato sauce, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce. I mix well and pour over cabbage rolls.
Sometimes I double the sauce if I want a lot extra. I often serve these with noodles, so it is nice to have plenty of sauce to pour on the noodles.
Ingredients
Cabbage Rolls
1 large head green cabbage, about 2 to 2¼ pounds
2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs (not necessary, you can leave them out)
1 medium onion, grated or minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ cup raw long-grain white rice
Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (medium dice)
2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce or one 32-ounce can whole tomatoes, pulsed in a food processor with juice until pureed.
juice of one lemon
1/3 to 3/4 cup light brown sugar (depending on amount of sweetness you prefer, unless you prefer it completely savory. In that case, add only 1 tablespoon brown sugar and the juice from half a lemon)
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup golden raisins (optional)
Chopped parsley, for garnish