Ukraine · Vegetable and Mushroom Dishes · Gluten-free

Golubtsy (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

Name: Golubtsy (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)
Prep time: 36 min
Cook time: 84 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: Ukrainian
Ingredients: 1 piece white cabbage; 300 g ground beef and pork; 100 g round-grain rice; 2 piece onions; 300 g carrots; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 100 ml sour cream; 3 piece bay leaves

Tender cabbage leaves filled with a mixture of ground meat and rice, simmered in a rich tomato-sour cream sauce until soft and juicy. A cornerstone of Slavic home cooking.

120 min 500 kcal 5 serves Advanced🌾Gluten-free🇺🇦Ukraine★★★★★4.8· 6 reviews

Ingredients

ServingsMetric

1 piecewhite cabbage
300 gground beef and pork
100 ground-grain rice
2 pieceonions
300 gcarrots
3 tbsptomato paste
100 mlsour cream
3 piecebay leaves

Note from Sergei

Sergei Martynov

“Golubtsy — Ukrainian cabbage rolls — are a labor of love that my grandmother used to make every Sunday without fail. The trickiest part is blanching the cabbage leaves just right: too little and they crack when you roll them, too much and they turn to translucent mush that tears. I dip them in boiling water for exactly 2–3 minutes, then immediately shock them in ice water. The filling should be a mix of rice and meat with sautéed onions — the rice acts as a binder but also absorbs the braising liquid, becoming impossibly fluffy. Always braise them in a tomato-sour cream sauce; it's the tangy richness that defines the dish.”

Cut out the thick central rib from each cabbage leaf with a V-shaped cut before rolling — this makes the leaf flexible and prevents cracking when you fold the sides in.

Method

Remove the core from the cabbage. Lower the head into boiling water. As the outer leaves soften, peel them off one by one. Trim the thick rib from each leaf.
Parboil the rice for about 10 minutes; drain. Mix the ground meat with the rice, one finely diced onion, salt and pepper.
Place a portion of filling on each leaf. Fold the two side edges in toward the center, then roll from the base into a tight cylinder.
For the sauce: sauté the second onion and carrots in oil until soft. Add tomato paste, 500–700 ml water or broth and sour cream. Bring to a boil; season with salt and pepper.
Line the bottom of a large pot with a few cabbage leaves. Arrange the rolls snugly on top. Pour the sauce over. Tuck in the bay leaves. Simmer covered on low heat 45–60 minutes. Add fresh herbs 5 minutes before the end if desired.

FAQ

Golubtsy fall apart for two reasons: filling that is too loose, or incorrect wrapping technique. The filling should be firm — use par-cooked rice and well-mixed meat. Wrap like an envelope: place the filling on the wide edge of the leaf, fold the side edges inward, then roll tightly toward the narrow end. Place the rolls seam-side down in the pot, pressing them snugly against each other — this keeps them from opening. If the leaves are stiff, blanch them longer (5–7 minutes) until completely pliable.

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Comments (2)

Александр М
24d ago
Прекрасное блюдо!
Sergei Martynov✍ Author
29d ago
Cook the head of white cabbage until it just barely yields to a knife for golubtsy. It continues softening from residual heat for 2-3 minutes. Cooking until fully soft in the pan means mush on the plate.