Stuffed cabbage rolls, or galumpkis, wrap blanched cabbage leaves around beef, pork and rice. They bake for an hour under a sweet and sour tomato sauce. Twelve rolls from one dish, and a Christmas dinner main that costs very little to put together.
Core the cabbage and lower the whole head into the boiling water, peeling leaves away as they loosen. Pulling them off a raw head tears them, and a torn leaf will not hold half a cup of filling.
There are no times at all on the source card, not prep, not cook, not total. The sauce takes about ten minutes, the leaves another fifteen, rolling twenty and the bake an hour, so set aside two hours.
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Galumpkis)
Course: Main CourseCuisine: American, PolishDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalBeef, pork and steamed rice bound with egg, rolled into blanched cabbage leaves and packed into a lined dish. Baked slowly under a sharp tomato sauce until the meat is cooked through.
Ingredients
- For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 quarts crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the Filling:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons dry red wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups steamed white rice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For Rolling:
2 large heads green cabbage, about 3 pounds each
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for the top
Directions
- Make the sauce: Coat a 3-quart saucepan with 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat, add the smashed garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and cook 5 minutes, then stir in the vinegar and sugar and simmer about 5 minutes until thickened. Season and take off the heat.
- Make the filling: Soften the onion and minced garlic in 2 tablespoons oil for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, red wine, parsley and 1/2 cup of the sauce, then take it off the heat. Mix it into the beef, pork, egg and rice with your hands and season generously.
- Blanch the leaves: Pull off the large outer leaves and set them aside. Cut out the cores, lower the heads into boiling salted water and peel the leaves away as they loosen, about 5 minutes, until pliable. Cool them under running water and cut out the thick center vein.
- Roll: Lay the reserved outer leaves across the bottom of a casserole dish, letting them hang over the sides. Put about 1/2 cup of filling in each leaf, fold the sides in from the stem end and roll it up. Pack the rolls seam side down in rows.
- Bake: Heat the oven to 350F. Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls, fold the hanging leaves across the top to seal in the moisture, drizzle with the last 2 tablespoons of oil and bake 1 hour, until the meat is cooked through.
FAQs
How much cabbage do I actually need?
The list asks for two heads at three pounds each, which is six pounds for twelve rolls. One good head gives you twelve to fifteen usable leaves, so the second is insurance against tearing. Buy two if you have never done this, one if you have.
How much is a splash of red wine?
About two tablespoons, which is what a splash means in a pan that size. It goes in to lift the tomato paste off the bottom, so the exact amount matters very little. Any dry red works and the alcohol cooks off in seconds.
Can I freeze stuffed cabbage rolls?
Yes, and they freeze better than most baked dishes because the sauce protects them. Freeze them after baking, in the sauce, and reheat covered so they steam rather than dry out. Unbaked rolls freeze too but the cabbage goes limp on thawing.
What should I serve with them?
Something plain and starchy, because the rolls already carry meat, rice and sauce. Bread for the sauce works, and so does a bowl of potato. A spoonful of velvety mashed potatoes next to them soaks up what is left in the dish.
What do I do with the leftover cabbage?
The small inner leaves are no use for rolling but they are the best part for shredding. Slice them fine and they keep in the fridge for days. Turn them into this classic coleslaw and nothing from the two heads gets thrown away.
