Delicious and nostalgic, these Russian Cabbage Rolls are a filling comfort food. Naturally gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free.
Russian Cabbage Rolls.
When my family and I were living in Far East Russia, we had cabbage just about any way you can imagine (and potatoes just about any way you can imagine, too). Капуста (or ‘poosta’ as my kids call it) became one of our best friends, and we continued to consume large quantities of it upon moving back to the States.
Sadly, don’t remember where I found the original recipe I adapted this one from, but I do remember it was a Russian girl’s blog, so you can count on it’s authenticity. Although Russians typically put sour cream on everything (ok, not everything), I left that out to make it dairy-free.
To make the meal fully Russian, just add some black tea and brown bread and you’re good to go!
If you need a grain-free, fun twist on this recipe, check out my Quinoa & Beef Stuffed Chard in the Instant Pot!
In the recipe card I’ve linked to some of the products from my affiliate partners that I like to use. Purchasing through these links won’t cost you anything extra. Thanks!
Russian Cabbage Rolls
Free from gluten, eggs, dairy, and sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 cabbage
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 pound ground beef/venison/whatever
- 1/2 large onion, minced
- 3-4 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4-1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 quart homemade stock
- 2 cups diced tomatoes, with juice
Instructions
Trim the bottom off a head of cabbage, place it in a large stock pot, cover with water, and boil for 5-7 minutes. Carefully pull off the outer leaves and drain them. Place the back in the water and boiling for about 20 more minutes, or until tender.
While the cabbage is cooking, cook the rice as usual. Place one cup of cooked rice in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Caramelize onions. Add garlic and sauté until tender. Prepare the filling by mixing together cooked rice, raw ground meat, garlic, onions, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Remove the tender cabbage from pot and drain. Once the leaves are cool enough to handle, detach leaves from each other and use a knife to remove the tough vein from the outside of each leaf. Place a small amount of filling into the center of each cabbage leaf and wrap it carefully like a little present. Place each roll seam-side down on a plate while you finish wrapping the rest.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan (or the emptied stock-pot) and saute half of the rolls until lightly browned on both sides (just a few minutes per side). Set browned rolls aside while you saute the remaining rolls. When all the rolls have been browned, pour in the stock and bring to a simmer, scraping the browned pieces off the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes and the browned rolls to the simmering stock. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes.
Note
This meal takes about 1 1/2 hours to make, from raw cabbage to hot-on-your-plate, just so you can be prepared. But it IS worth it!
Thanks for the great recipe. Come share if you like.
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Thanks Linda!
LOL! I love that you have a warning that this is not super easy! Looks really yummy and worth the work!
: ) Haha. Yeah, it's worth it!
My mom, who is not Russian, made these for us as kids. The ingredients were slightly different and she didn't brown the rolls, but the technique was the same and I've made them lots of times myself. I think they're delicious and really, not that much work.
Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop! I hope you’ll join us again next week!
Cheers,
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com
Thanks Kathy! They sure are delicious! 🙂
Delish too me Raia! I believe my husband will make his for dinner tonite. It makes a great left over too. Will use beef/pork/and veal. The pork will give it flavor and oil. We also add salt pork. Will try it with the cinnamon, which will give a twist, I imagine! We are from second generation Poles & Ukies. Thanks!
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
Hope your week is great!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Thanks! Hope you both enjoy it! : )
Thanks Cindy!
Tried this and was very tasty I used turkey as the wife does not like beef and a few cranberry’s to lift the taste a bit. other than that I loved the gluten free version as I rarely eat dairy or egg.!
So glad you enjoyed it!