How to Make Classic Cabbage Rolls

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In this video, learn how to make classic cabbage rolls with this traditional family recipe passed down by Grandma! These hearty, delicious cabbage rolls are filled with a flavorful combination of seasoned meat, rice, and a savory tomato sauce. Perfect for a cozy dinner or family gatherings, this recipe will bring comfort to your table and warm memories of homemade cooking.

Transcript

00:00Sometimes all you want is warm comfort food

00:02from grandma's kitchen, and I've got that today.

00:05I've got grandma's recipe

00:07for old-fashioned stuffed cabbage rolls.

00:09This is not my grandmother's recipe,

00:11but my boss's great-grandmother's recipe,

00:13and it was translated into English like 40, 50 years ago.

00:17So you know this is the real thing, okay?

00:19What I love is that the ingredients

00:21are very few and very simple.

00:23There is one little secret ingredient she adds

00:26that we'll have to talk about later.

00:28So you wanna start with a head of cabbage I've washed,

00:31and you want to loosen up all the outer leaves.

00:34You want the biggest leaves so that they roll easily.

00:36So I like to just kinda cut them off the core

00:40at the bottom and then kind of gently peel it away.

00:43And you'll want about eight to 10 cabbage leaves.

00:46I'll save the inside

00:48and usually make something like coleslaw.

00:51It's okay if they tear a little bit, it'll be fine.

00:54You also need to get your rice cooking.

00:56Adding in, I like a little butter and salt in mine.

01:01Add in your rice.

01:03Once that comes back up to a boil, I'll reduce the heat,

01:06cover it, and cook it until all that liquid's absorbed.

01:09All right, then in a separate skillet,

01:11like a deep, wide skillet,

01:13this is also what I'm going to cook my cabbage rolls in

01:15after I roll them.

01:17I'm gonna bring this water up to a simmer

01:18and then kind of steam my cabbage leaves

01:21to make them soft and pliable.

01:23All right, then you wanna cut out this like,

01:27really tough part of the core

01:29that's gonna help it to roll easier.

01:31So you can just take your knife

01:33and just kind of cut a little triangle.

01:36And then after you steam it, it'll be a lot easier to roll.

01:39Okay, so just kind of drop your leaves in,

01:41let them go for a couple minutes.

01:44A lot of different cultures have different ways

01:45to make the same dish,

01:47just by switching out some of the flavors.

01:49This version is from my boss's great-grandmother

01:53who was from Ukraine,

01:54so this is more of the Ukrainian and Polish style.

01:58But the gist of all of them is the same.

02:00It is beef and rice rolled up in cabbage

02:03and cooked in a tomatoey liquid.

02:05Just cooking them until they're just pliable

02:07and then it really sets this really bright green color.

02:10So you can see how they went from just a dull green

02:13to this really vivid green.

02:15That's what we like.

02:20Okay, rice done.

02:22Cabbage ready.

02:24Now we make our filling.

02:26This special wouldn't smell as good as the pasta one.

02:29Okay, for the filling, super simple.

02:33Now, in the grandmother's recipe, there is not onion,

02:36but I really wanna put onion in here, so I'm going to.

02:39Everything else, I promise, I'm gonna follow correctly.

02:41So I'm gonna finely chop it

02:43and then just mix it in with the ground beef.

02:44Okay, into the bowl, onion.

02:48Okay, and then ground beef.

02:50I'm using just ground sirloin, a little bit leaner.

02:54Really any ground beef will work.

02:56Salt and pepper.

02:58Okay, now this is where it gets a little bit interesting.

03:00A secret ingredient here, a little of this.

03:04This is just MSG.

03:06MSG has kinda gotten a bad rep in the past,

03:09but look, it's a naturally occurring substance.

03:11It really has less sodium than salt does

03:14and its whole purpose is just to boost things,

03:17like wake it up.

03:18All right, and then my rice.

03:20I'm just gonna let it cool off a little bit

03:21before I add it in,

03:22just so it doesn't automatically cook that ground beef.

03:25The other secret ingredient going into this recipe,

03:28just condensed tomato soup.

03:30I mean, this is old school.

03:31This lets you know that this recipe is vintage.

03:34All right, and then I'm gonna add in a beaten egg

03:36and our rice.

03:38The egg is gonna hold everything together.

03:41Also, when I've done cabbage rolls,

03:42we just put the rice in raw and it absorbs as it cooks,

03:46but don't mess with grandma's recipe.

03:49Now we roll.

03:52All right, so place your filling in.

03:55It's all about just tucking in two of the sides

03:57and then rolling up.

03:58You just want it to be sealed.

04:00Then we're gonna cook these packages in our tomato soup.

04:04We are cooking these on the stove.

04:06However, just a little secret.

04:09You could do this in the oven or in a crock pot,

04:13just if you wanna jazz things up.

04:15Classically, over the stove.

04:18So we're gonna take the rest of the tomato soup,

04:21add it into the pot.

04:23I'm gonna add a little bit of water.

04:24Also not in the recipe, but we can't waste that.

04:27As these cook, they are going to leach out

04:29a little more liquid in there,

04:30so it will get a little bit thinner.

04:32Plus, that beefy flavor will also translate

04:34into the tomato mixture.

04:36I'm going to add a little more pepper,

04:38because I like it.

04:40Kinda wanna add a garlic, but I won't.

04:43And then I'm just gonna place my rolls in.

04:46I made more than the recipe called for,

04:48because I don't know, it's just how I do.

04:51Pack them in, they're gonna cook down.

04:53It's gonna be delicious.

04:55Okay, this goes onto the stove.

04:56I'm gonna bring it to a simmer and cook them covered.

04:58It's gonna take a while.

04:59You wanna cook it kind of on a medium low.

05:02You just want them to almost poach in there.

05:04We're gonna cover these and simmer them

05:06for about 45 minutes to an hour,

05:08or just whenever that meat is fully cooked through

05:10and that cabbage is super tender.

05:12Grandma's recipe says actually two hours.

05:14Not sure it's gonna take that long, but we'll see.

05:16About every 20 minutes or so,

05:18you wanna baste the cabbage with that tomato sauce.

05:22It's smelling so good.

05:27It's time to eat.

05:29Yum, oh.

05:31What I love about this dinner is it's got your meat,

05:34your starch, your veggie, all in one dish.

05:37I don't feel the need to make any more sides to go with it.

05:40You can if you want.

05:42So to plate it up.

05:44All right, then I like lots of that tomato sauce on top.

05:48And then I am just gonna add a little bit of fresh parsley.

05:51This is gonna be so delicious.

05:53Like, just what you want, comfort food.

05:56Oh my gosh, so tender.

05:58That just cut through like butter.

06:01You might not think cabbage and beef is glamorous,

06:03but to me, this is like perfection.

06:06Let's see how Grandma did.

06:08Mm.

06:10It's dishes like these that really make you feel

06:12like you just got a big warm hug.

06:16It's just so good.

06:17Simple things are often the very best.

06:21I'm impressed with the tomato soup in there.

06:24It does lend a sweetness,

06:25but it doesn't taste like the tomato soup

06:28that you know from that can.

06:29It's like mixed with all the other flavors

06:32that cooked in it.

06:34It's just a whole new experience.

06:38This should be your dinner tonight.

06:40Just saying.

06:42Mm.

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