Veggie Stuffed Cabbage

Tender pockets of cabbage leaves stuffed with yum and slow cooked in home canned summer tomatoes. Oooo la la!

My Mister grew up in a Polish family and this (a version of Gołąbki (literally: little doves; pron.”go-woomp-kee) is his comfort food. The traditional versions contained meat, our version does not. Adding ground turkey, lean pork, or a combination, might be your choice. We love to fill these with veggies of choice, along with either rice or lentils, some kind of pretty green, and a meaty mushroom.

This is not just rice filled cabbage in a weak tomato broth. Sorry, Babcia (Grandmother). This is veggie stuffed cabbage rolls. In hearty tomatoes. Oooooo la la!!’

Its all about quality tomatoes, as usual. You may, of course, use a good quality store tomato. If you are still learning how to can summer tomatoes, check out the how to here:

Canning Tomatoes

If you want to make them a bit more "Italian" and spicy, use the roasted Roma tomatoes and garlic from the freezer:

The how to is here: Freezing Roasted Roma Tomatoes and Garlic

Choose regular cabbage. We were once seduced by the pretty colors and texture of Savoy cabbage, but the taste of regular cabbage wins every time. Cut out the core and then drop the head into a deep pot of boiling water to release the leaves.

Decide what you want to create for stuffing. We like red lentils (or rice), onion (or leek or shallot), garlic, carrot, shitake mushrooms and baby bok choy. Don’t be timid about improvisation.

You will notice (perhaps be frustrated!) that I do not include amounts of each, but this is what old country cooking is all about. Meet your eye and taste buds. About 1 cup of rice or lentils though.

I like to sauté shitake mushrooms in sherry for these.

A word about baby bok choy: we choose this delicious green because the entire vegetable is healthy/delicious BUT also contributes twice to the cabbage roll: the sweet, crispy crunch of the celery-like ends, plus the tender, peppery green of the tops. A worthy addition!!

Brown the onion, carrots, garlic, greens, and mushrooms in olive oil. Remove from heat and stir in the lentils or rice (about a cup). Rice and lentils will expand when cooking, so be wary. Here is what my goo looks like in the pan:

Trim the cabbage leaves of any tough core still at the ends. Spoon filling into the leaf. Roll like a burrito or egg roll. Over, sides tucked, over again.

Place seam side down in a deep soup pot. Cover completely with canned tomatoes. Sometimes I used my stewed tomatoes, which is just the homegrown stewed with onion, celery and green peppers. Sometimes, when My Mister is in the mood to go full on Polish, we add sauerkraut to the top with the tomatoes. Drain the pickle juice though.

If adding sauerkraut to your stuffed cabbage you should do so at the beginning of the stewing process, layering it with the rolls in the pot or baking dish before adding the sauce and baking/simmering the entire dish. Adding the sauerkraut this early allows its tangy flavor to permeate the entire dish and helps to tenderize the cabbage rolls during the long cooking time. If you have extra cabbage left over you can also chop it and add to the bottom of the pan.

Bake slowly in the oven or cook stovetop, covered. This could take several hours.

Stovetop is quicker but requires watching to prevent scorching.

Oven is slow but insures even roasting and tenderness.

I cook at 325° - 350°, for about 2 hours, covered, then cook uncovered for about 1/2 hour for a nice thickening and slight brown finish.

Once you break them open into a bowl the whole thing resembles cabbage soup. So be it.

Serve with salt and pepper, crusty bread, green salad.