Cabbage Rolls

These cabbage rolls are super popular at our house. If you are looking for a healthy and delicious recipe, look no further. These cabbage rolls are of the Mediterranean style. Stuffed with rice and beef. The seasonings are super simple, but you’ll find that it’s absolutely delicious.

Cabbage rolls are a bit time consuming, but absolutely worth it. So be sure to make the necessary time for them when you decide to make them.

INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING CABBAGE ROLLS

• Cabbage
• Ground beef
• Long-grain rice
• Chicken broth or chicken bouillon cubes and water
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Black pepper
• Allspice
• Ground nutmeg
• bay leaf
• Olive oil
• A head of garlic
• Water for blanching the cabbage
• Parsley

UTENSILS

• Chopping board
• Large sharp knife
• Large Heavy bottom stockpot
• Measuring cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Large plate
• Small ceramic plate that can fit inside the pot you’re using
• Tongs
• Large bowl
• fine sieve
• Clean dish towel

BLANCHING THE CABBAGE

Grab a large pot and fill it with water a little more than half full. Place it on high heat and bring it to a boil. We will need this water to blanch the head of cabbage.

There are two methods for blanching the cabbage

Blanching the Cabbage by Removing the leaves first

The first method of preparing the cabbage for blanching would be to try to remove each leaf individually off of the cabbage head prior to blanching.

I find this method super frustrating. My leaves always end up ripped. This simply does not work when making cabbage rolls because I want to be able to control the size and shape of the leaf to give me the best roll.

Blanching the Entire Cabbage Head

This is personally my favorite method, and the easiest.

To blanch the entire head of cabbage, slice a diamond shape around the core of the cabbage. This will allow you to remove the core leaving the leaves detached.

What this will do is allow you to easily remove the leaves one at a time as they blanch in the water.

Once you have cored the cabbage and the water reached the boiling point, carefully submerge the cabbage head into the boiling water.

As the cabbage head blanches, you’ll want to pull the outer the leaves using tongs. Once the leaves become pliable at the stem, immediately remove and place into a sieve to drain. You’ll need to do this with the remaining leaves.

Do not allow the leaves to blanch for too long, otherwise they will begin falling apart during the rolling and cooking process. If you let them blanch for too long, they will not taste as good as they would have lost all the nutrients during the blanching process.

Once all the leaves are blanched, set them aside to cool.

PREPARING THE FILLING FOR THE CABBAGE ROLLS

After you have blanched the leaves, now it’s time to prepare the filling.

Rinse and drain the rice thoroughly and remove any blemished grains or rocks that might be in there.

Place the rice into a bowl and add the chicken bouillon (if using any), salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, olive oil, and parsley. You can add as much salt as you prefer.

I personally like my food to be slightly on the saltier side.

PREPARING THE CABBAGE LEAVES FOR ROLLING

Now that the stuffing is ready, and the cabbages are cool enough to handle, we’ll need to slice them to the desired size and shape.

It all depends on the size of the cabbage leaf. If the leaf is about the size of your palm or smaller, you should do not slice it. Just cut the hard part of the stem off.

If the leaf is bigger than your palm you can slice it. If it is a medium size leaf, remove the stem and slice it in half. And if it is a large size leaf, remove the stem, and slice it into thirds.

You can watch the video that I included with this recipe to help you with all the directions. I find that it is very difficult to explain all the detailed process of this recipe in using just words.

I am a visual learner, and whether you are or not, I am pretty sure that you will find the video very helpful.

HOW TO PREVENT THE BOTTOM OF THE CABBAGE ROLLS FROM CHARRING

Make sure to reserve all the stems that you have removed off the leaves.

Chop them into 1/4 inch thick cubes, and line the bottom of the pot with the stems. If there are too many stems, you can discard some of them. You only need enough to cover the bottom of the pot.

Covering the bottom of the pot with the chopped up stems is very crucial.

If you do not do that you will end up with scorched cabbage rolls at the bottom of the pot. This will still happen even if there was still water in the pot after the cooking process is done.

The scorched cabbage rolls will affect the taste of the entire dish, and basically ruin it for you.

HOW TO STUFF AND ROLL CABBAGE ROLLS

To roll the cabbage leaves, choose a wide side of the leaf that will will allow for maximum stuffing and maximum rolling space.

Place some stuffing along that side leaving about half an inch space at both edges, and at the bottom side that is closest to the stuffing.

Shape the stuffing into a log of about half an inch thick.

You do not want to put too much stuffing in the cabbage roll, as they will burst and create a mess in the pot.

Once you have placed and formed the stuffing, roll the cabbage leaf beginning from the side that is closest to the stuffing.

Place the rolled cabbage roll into the pot, seam side down. Repeat these steps until you have formed a layer of cabbage rolls in the pot.

THE SECRET INGREDIENT TO MAKING THE BEST CABBAGE ROLLS

Once you have a full layer of cabbage rolls, take about five unpeeled garlic cloves and scatter them on top of that layer.

Begin rolling the next layer of cabbage rolls. Place about five cloves of garlic cloves between each layer of cabbage rolls.

The garlic cloves are the secret ingredient to this recipe. They are what give it its delicious and unique taste. I cannot have cabbage rolls without garlic. It simply is not the same.

HOW TO STOP CABBAGE ROLLS FROM FLOATING TO THE SURFACE WHILE BEING COOKED

Once you have finished rolling the cabbage rolls and placing them into the pot, cover them with chicken broth(or some water if using chicken bouillon). The liquid should reach about half an inch to an inch over them.

Sprinkle about a tablespoon of salt over them or to your liking, And place a bay leaf over the cabbage rolls.

Cover them with a plate to prevent them from floating around and opening up during the cooking process.

COOKING CABBAGE ROLLS TO PERFECTION

Place the cabbage rolls onto high heat, cover them, and bring them to a boil.

Once they have reached a boil, reduce the heat to low or medium low, and let them cook for 30 to 40 minutes.

The cooking time will vary depending on which type of rice you are using, and how compacted the cabbage leaves are.

I usually cook them according to the time that the rice that I am using needs to cook, but if the cabbage rolls are too compacted, they will need a longer time to cook.

THE TRADITIONAL LEBANESE WAY OF MAKING CABBAGE ROLLS

In the traditional Lebanese way of cooking cabbage rolls, they usually add some crushed garlic, dried mint, and some lemon juice at the last ten minutes of cooking.

This adds a little bit of zing to the dish, and brightens up the flavors.

I personally detest the flavor that the lemon juice, garlic and mint add at the last minute. I find that it ruins the dish, but you might want to try it and see which way you like better.

After making these few changes, this dish has now become one of my favorite dishes.

HOW TO SERVE CABBAGE ROLLS

After the cabbage rolls have fully cooked, carefully remove the plate using tongs.

You’ll probably need the help of a dish towel or a spoon, to support the plate as you carry it to the sink. You might also want to do this step as close to the sink as possible to prevent the plate from braking, and from burning yourself.

To serve the cabbage rolls, use tongs or two forks to gently and carefully pick them up out of the pot onto your plate.

If the leaves are easily braking apart, it could be due to two different reasons. You either have blanched them for too long, or you have cooked the rolls for too long.

Now all is left to do is to enjoy! And remember, you can eat the garlic too. It is delicious!

Cabbage rolls can easily be served on their own.

Cabbage Rolls

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Gluten Free Mediterranean Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Chantal

These cabbage rolls are super popular at our house. If you are looking for a healthy and delicious recipe, look no further. These cabbage rolls are of the Mediterranean style. Stuffed with rice and beef. The seasonings are super simple, but you'll find that it's absolutely delicious.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Equipment

• Chopping board
• Large sharp knife
• Large heavy bottom stockpot
• Measuring cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Large plate
• Small ceramic plate that can fit
• inside the pot you’re using
• Tongs
• Large bowl
• fine sieve
• Clean dish towel

Ingredients

  

• 1 head cabbage about 3 to 4 pounds
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons salt or to your taste
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 full head of garlic (about 15 garlic cloves)
• Water for blanching the cabbage
• 1 tsp parsley

Instructions

 

• Start by filling the stock pot with water leaving about 5 to 6 inches head space.
• Set the pot on high heat and bring the water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, while the water is heating up. Separate the cabbage leaves from the cabbage head by cutting the stem of each leaf that connects it to the head and pushing down from the stem toward the leaf. If the leaves are tearing apart, you can try cutting a diamond shape around the stalk of the cabbage head. Remove the stalk and carve out the remaining stalk pieces that are connecting the leaves together. Make sure that all the leaves’ stems are separated from each other at the stem part.
• Once the water had reached the boiling point, reduce the heat to medium high and place about 4 to 5 leaves at a time in the boiling water and blanch them for one minute or until you are able to bend the leaf at the stem point without breaking the stem. Do this while pushing down on them using tongs to make sure that all the leaf parts are submerged in the boiling water.
• If you are using the second technique where you would carve the stalk out, carefully place the entire head of cabbage into the stock pot. You can use a large fork and a large spoon to do so. Poke the fork into the cabbage head where you have carved the stalk out, and hold the cabbage head at the bottom with a large spoon. Carefully place it into the pot. Carefully remove the fork out of the cabbage head with the help of the spoon by pushing down on the cabbage head using the spoon, and gently pulling the fork out.
• Using tongs and the help of a fork pull the outer leaves a couple at a time, and allow to blanch for about 1 minute or until pliable. Continue with the remaining steps and repeat this step until the entire cabbage head is blanched.
• At this point you may notice that the water had stopped boiling. That’s ok, but if you do notice that it is taking longer than a minute for the leaves to become pliable, you can raise up the heat a little bit. If the water begins to boil too quickly, you can reduce the heat. It’s simple.
• Pick up the leaves using tongs while making sure that the water drips out of them into the pot. Transfer onto a large plate.
• Repeat steps 6 to 8 until all the cabbage leaves are blanched
• Once all the leaves are blanched allow to cool down until it is easy enough to handle.
• Meanwhile, Dump the water that we were using to blanch the cabbage into the sink, or you can transfer it into a bowl to cool down, and then use it to water your plants.
• Rinse the pot with cold water and dry with a clean kitchen towel.
• Place the rice into the bowl and rinse two to three times.
• Drain the rice using a fine sieve. Place the rice back into the bowl.
• Add the ground beef into the bowl with the rice.
• If you are using chicken bouillon, crumble it over the rice and beef mixture, and add 1 tablespoon salt or to your taste, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon allspice, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ¼ cup olive oil, and the 1 teaspoon of parsley.
• Using your clean hands (or you can wear disposable gloves if you wish), mix all the ingredients together until everything is well combined.
• Now that the cabbage has cooled, using a sharp knife cut the thick stems out of each leaf almost half way through the cabbage leaf, and save the stems for later.
• Using a sharp knife slice the large cabbage leaves into thirds. Slice the medium leaves into halves, and leave the small ones as is. The size of each slice should be about the size of your hand.
• Take the stems which we have saved earlier, and chop them into ½ inch cubs.
• Place enough of the chopped stems to cover the bottom of the pot. Discard the remaining stems.
• Place one cabbage leaf slice onto the cutting board or on a clean counter.
• Grab some of the stuffing and place on the widest part of the leaf. Using your fingers, form a log with the stuffing along the widest side of the leaf leaving about a ½ inch seam allowance along the sides and along the bottom side where you have placed the stuffing. The log should be about the thickness of your index finger.
• Fold the seam allowance over the stuffing, and continue to roll the leaf.
• Place the cabbage roll into the pot, seam side down.
• Repeat steps 22 through 25 until all the stuffing or the leaves are gone placing 4 to 5 unpeeled garlic cloves between each layer.
• If you are not using chicken bouillon with the stuffing, you can use chicken broth for this step. Fill the pot with the liquid of your choice covering the top layer of the cabbage rolls with about half an inch to an inch of the liquid of your choice.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt (or according to your taste) into the pot. Place the bay leaf over the cabbage rolls.
• Cover the cabbage rolls with the small ceramic plate.
• Bring the liquid into a boil over high heat.
• Once the liquid begins to boil, reduce heat to medium low and let it simmer for 35 to 45 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Using Tongs and a clean dish towel. Carefully remove the plate that is covering the rolls, and place it into the sink. Remove the bay leaf.
• You can pick up the rolls using two forks or the tongs. Serve on a platter, and enjoy!

Video

Keyword Cabbage Rolls, Mediterranean

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