Beef & Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe
Table of Contents
Do you want a delicious family-style dish that everyone will enjoy? Then try this beef & rice stuffed cabbage rolls recipe, which has plenty of filling and can be served with various side dishes.
The entire dish is made with simple components. For a hearty and savory meal, cabbage leaves are wrapped around rice and ground beef and then topped with homemade tomato sauce. This tasty and satisfying dish will undoubtedly become a favorite on your list of go-to food options!
Beef & Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe Ingredients
These cabbage rolls are perfectly cooked with a tangy tomato sauce and packed with ground meat and healthy brown rice. Many consider cabbage rolls their go-to comfort food and frequently save them for special occasions or large family gatherings.
- 12 cabbage leaves
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup fat-free milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
For the sauce:
- 1 can or 8 ounces of tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
How to Make Beef & Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours
Yield: 6 servings
- Cook cabbage in simmering water in batches for 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and cool slightly.
- Remove the thick vein from the bottom of each cabbage leaf using a V-shaped cut.
- Combine the brown rice, onion, egg, milk, salt, and pepper in a large bow, then add beef.
- Gently but thoroughly combine all of them.
- Place approximately 1/4 cup of the beef mixture per cabbage leaf.
- Pull the leaf’s cut edges to overlap, then wrap over the filling. Fold the sides in, then roll up.
- Place six rolls seam side down in a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker.
- In a bowl, combine sauce ingredients and drizzle cabbage rolls with half of the sauce.
- Cover remaining rolls with remaining sauce.
- Cook, covered, on low for 6 to 8 hours or until a thermometer inserted into the beef registers 160°F, and the cabbage is tender.
- Top the cabbage rolls with the sauce and serve.
Beef & Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe Tips
- The meat is not cooked beforehand, so avoid excess fat by choosing lean ground beef.
- Before stuffing the cabbage leaves with the minced beef filling, cook a spoonful of the rice meat filling in a small skillet and then taste it to adjust the seasoning as desired.
- Boil a few additional cabbage leaves in case one of the leaves divides or breaks while being filled and rolled. It is unnecessary to transfer the filling to a fresh leaf. Position the broken leaf with its filling on top of a new, whole leaf and roll as advised. If using the freezing method, remove a few extra leaves.
- You can keep the cooked stuffed cabbage rolls in the refrigerator for three to four days. Put them in a plastic container with an airtight seal or securely wrap them in aluminum foil.
- Try replacing rice with steamed cauliflower rice for a low-carb alternative.
- If you wish to refrigerate cabbage rolls, it is best to leave them uncooked. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then prepare the sauce and cook according to the instructions.
- If brown rice is unavailable, you can use other types of rice for this recipe.
Final Note
Make this delicious beef and rice stuffed cabbage rolls recipe at your next family dinner or social event. You can also make this rice recipe to have yourself a meal prepped for the week.
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