Голубцы – Cabbage Rolls Filled with Pork

Published on April 9, 2014 | In Russian/Ukrainian | By tatyanaseverydayfood |

- Prep Time
- 30 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 Minutes
- Yield
- 30-40 small rolls
- Difficulty Level

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Golubtsi, or traditional Eastern European cabbage rolls, are simply delicious! Every country has their own recipe and this one is by my Ukrainian mother. These delicate and savory cabbage rolls are filled with rice, onion and pork and are worth every moment spent on making them! Serve them fresh with sour cream for amazing, mouth-watering cuisine.

Make sure to watch my video tutorial for step-by-step instructions on how to shape these!

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Ingredients

1 extra large cabbage
1 pound ground lean pork
1/2 cup dry long-grain rice
1 medium onion, diced
3 small garlic cloves, finely minced
3 small carrots, grated
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
For Topping:
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
sour cream for serving

Instructions

Prepare cabbage by steaming it whole until the leaves are tender but not too soft. You can use a steam cooker or wrap cabbage in cling wrap and microwave it on high for 8 -9 minutes. Set aside and let cool. You can also cook the cabbage by first cutting out the core of the cabbage. Then place into boiling water, cook for 5 minutes, continue cooking then, as the leaves begin to soften, remove them one by one onto a plate to cool. They will have greenish, yellow tint when they are ready.
Meanwhile, cook rice in 1 cup water until rice is almost done but not all the way. Set aside and let cool.
Sauté onion in olive oil on medium heat until golden brown then add garlic, carrots, salt, black pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes until mixture is golden. Let cool to room temperature.
In medium bowl, combine together ground meat and mayonnaise – stir together to form paste. Add rice and onion mixture
Begin making rolls by carefully peeling the cabbage leaves off starting from the outside. Peel entire cabbage and cut off any hard tips. Cut larger pieces into halves – ideally you want the pieces to be long, obtuse triangles. You can also use several smaller pieces to create one piece that is usable. Place approximately 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons onto the wide end of the triangle and roll by folding the cabbage inside. Fold the remaining cabbage into the top to seal the roll. Set finished rolls onto plate.
When done making rolls, preheat a large skillet to medium heat and add olive oil just to cover bottom. Fry the rolls in batches, rotating them until they are golden brown, couple minutes on each side. Place rolls into deep, glass baking dish.
To make topping: sauté onion in small skillet until golden brown, add tomato sauce, salt and water. Remove from heat and whisk in cream. Pour sauce over rolls arranged in glass dish. Sprinkle dill and additional fresh ground black pepper on top. Bake in oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven and serve hot with sour cream.
Rolls can be refrigerated for up to 3 days – to reheat, simple heat skillet to medium heat and fry rolls with no oil until warm, about 5 to 7 minutes. Microwave reheating not recommended.

Course : Main Dish
Recipe Type : Dinner, Lunch, Pork Recipes, Video

9 Responses to Голубцы – Cabbage Rolls Filled with Pork

Karin Miltsch September 28, 2014 at 2:39 am #

I have always made cabbage rolls the way my mother does (she had Russian parents from Moscow) and her way of preparing the rolls was different. They were oblong and browned in butter and caramelized chopped onions, no tomato sauce, and just sour cream on the side. They are very good, but so are these! Now I don’t know which ones I like more! I made them for a Russian-Ukranian dinner party, and they were a big hit. The guests loved the cone shapes! Five stars!!

Reply
- tkorchemnaya September 29, 2014 at 2:16 pm #
  
  Thank you! 🙂 My mom makes the cabbage rolls larger, too but I love making them small and cone shaped! Love browning them in butter, too! Adds great flavor~
  
  Reply
Lily November 5, 2014 at 3:56 pm #

Hello! This is a great recipe!! One question .. what kind of cabbage do you use for this?

Reply
- tkorchemnaya November 14, 2014 at 5:49 pm #
  
  I prefer to use Napa cabbage because the leaves are softer and have a milder flavor but regular cabbage will work!
  
  Reply
Feriale Akiki September 22, 2015 at 8:04 am #

Great techniques. Thank you
is there a vegetarian version of the cabbage rolls ?
Keep on the great work

Reply
- tkorchemnaya September 22, 2015 at 9:53 am #
  
  Thanks for watching! I don’t have a vegetarian version for these; sorry!
  
  Reply
roxana March 11, 2019 at 11:58 pm #

hi, this recipe is really interesting and different from the one my mom makes it (in Romania). the biggest difference seems to be the cabbage, here we use pickled, not fresh. your recipe is definitely worth a try. thanks!

Reply
- tatyanaseverydayfood March 14, 2019 at 1:38 pm #
  
  Hi! I’ve never tried it with pickled cabbage but that sounds delicious, too! :)Hope you enjoy this version
  
  Reply