Elevate your dining experience with each bite, as you savor the rich heritage and irresistible taste of this beloved dish. This Middle-Eastern stuffed cabbage rolls recipe fits as the best lunch or dinner idea for a wholesome, perfectly warming meal.
Prepared with as simple ingredients as cabbage, beef, rice, and other components, these cabbage rolls are easy to make and feed a hungry crew. The distinctive combination of stuffed cabbage leaves with lemon and garlic sauce yields a perfectly flavored, tangy dish.
Happiness is Cabbage Stuffed Rolls
Why Stuff Veggies?
In so many cuisines, especially Middle Eastern ones, many vegetables are stuffed and cooked to tenderness. You might wonder: Is it worth the effort and time? The answer is definitely YES.
First of all, stuffing vegetables is love, made edible. If someone cooks you stuffed veggies, it means that they have dedicated their time to make a rewarding meal. The final result is mouth-watering, tenderly cooked veggies.
Then, there’s the advantage of versatility. You can work with a wide variety of fillings. It can be purely vegan, vegetarian, or meaty.
Convenience matters as well. You can prepare the stuffed veggies the night before and cook them the following day. You can also refrigerate them for a considerably long time and take them out to reheat them whenever you need to.
Some Tasty, Lemony Rolls
Whenever we pay a visit to my mom, my husband’s first request is always for these Middle-Eastern Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.
The Ingredients You Need to Make the Stuffed Rolls
To make these tenderly Middle-Eastern stuffed cabbage rolls, you need the following ingredients:
Cabbage: Choose large heads of cabbage. These help you have relatively larger rolls.
Rice: The best kind is Calrose rice. The grain size is appropriate and cooks well. You can use any short or medium-grain rice. But make sure that you soak it and wash it very well before adding it to the filling.
Beef: The meat has to be diced and ground. For a vegan choice, you can go without it.
Tomatoes: Choose Roma tomatoes or any other red, ripe tomatoes. They have to be finely chopped.
Garlic: It gives a distinct, savory flavor and has to be minced.
Onion: Choose a medium onion. Use it either raw or sautéed in 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1 teaspoon cumin.
Seasonings: You can add some garlic powder, onion powder, the 7-spice, cumin, bullion powder, black pepper, and salt.
Lemon: Extract the juice of a lemon and drizzle it. It makes the taste even more amazing.
As for the final topping, you need garlic, olive oil, bullion powder, salt, and lemon juice.
Some Little Tangy Cabbage Rolls
Steps To Prep
Preparing these heartwarming rolls is both simple and enjoyable.
First of all, chop all the vegetables finely, and add them to the soaked and washed rice. Add the spices and beef then mix.
After boiling the cabbage and letting it cool, cut each piece into halves, removing the inner middle stem without throwing it away. Save them for later.
Then, add the filling, close one end of the roll, and roll it like a burrito. Add the stems you cut out to a large pot, and layer all your rolled cabbage leaves on top of the chopped stems.
Next, add the final topping ingredients to a food processor and pulse until completely finely chopped into a thick sauce. Add the sauce to the rolled cabbage.
When everything is ready, add water to the pot to cover the rolls completely. Let it come to a rolling boil for 5 minutes, and then simmer and let it cool for 40-45 minutes until completely done.
Finally, serve with a generous squeeze of lemon, and enjoy!
I made mine in the instant pot, added water halfway to fill the pot, and put it on high pressure for 25-30 minutes, natural release.
A Comfort Middle Eastern Food
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Variations
Vegetarian: Replace the ground meat with a mixture of cooked rice, lentils, and a variety of vegetables such as diced tomatoes, onions, carrots, and bell peppers seasoned with Middle Eastern spices like cumin, paprika, and cinnamon.
Low Carb Stuffed Cabbage Rolls: Instead of stuffing the rolls with white rice, you can substitute it with quinoa for a healthier and more wholesome twist.
Pro Tips for Premium Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
To make this Middle-Eastern stuffed cabbage rolls recipe vegan, you can stuff the cabbage rolls with vegetarian stuffing. You can either remove the beef or use the same stuffing used in the vegan Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe.
Feel free to swap the toppings or the lemony sauce with another one. For example, you can use tomato sauce or marinara sauce instead.
You can prepare the stuffed cabbage rolls ahead of time, and cook them the day after. If you choose to do so, don’t add the toppings until you’re ready to cook.
Try to be careful with tearing the cabbage leaves. While working with the leaves, it’s better to remove the hard ridges in the middle of each cabbage leaf. Use a knife to cut each leaf in the center, and take out the hard stems. This way, each cabbage leaf is divided into two. Don’t throw away the removed hard parts; you will use them later on.
Pin it for Later
Storage Tips
Refrigeration: Allow the stuffed cabbage rolls to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Freezing: If you want to store the cabbage rolls for a longer period, they can be frozen. Place the rolls in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag, separating each layer with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Frozen stuffed cabbage rolls can last for up to 2-3 months.
Thawing: When ready to enjoy the frozen cabbage rolls, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating: To reheat the cabbage rolls, you can either microwave them on high for 1-2 minutes per roll or reheat them in a covered baking dish in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
Portion Control: If you anticipate having leftovers, consider portioning the cabbage rolls before storing them. This makes it easier to reheat only what you need, minimizing waste.
It’s All About Lemon and Garlic!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The best leaves are those of a large cabbage, more than a kilogram in weight. You can also use Chinese leaf cabbage or sweetheart cabbage.
You can keep the cooked cabbage rolls in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can store them in the freezer for up to one month. Thaw the frozen cabbage rolls in the refrigerator the night before. Then, reheat them over medium heat.
This is not recommended at all. Uncooked cabbage leaves are too stiff and hard to be stuffed and rolled.
Squeeze and Enjoy the Flavor
Must-Try Recipes
Sheikh Makhshi (Kusa Bi Laban)
Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed Grey Squash)
Crispy Cheese Borek (Turkish Cheese Rolls)
Meat Stuffed Pitas (Palestinian Arayes)
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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 3 large cabbage heads
- 3½ cups Calrose rice washed and soaked
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- 2 medium Roma tomatoes finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion raw or sautéed in 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp butter, and 1 tsp cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon 7 spice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon bullion powder
- juice of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Final Topping
- 8 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1½ teaspoons bullion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Chop all the vegetables finely.
- Add them to the soaked and washed rice, then add the spices and beef and mix.
- Boil the cabbage and let it cool.
- Cut each piece into halves, removing the inner middle stem without throwing them away. Save them for later.
- Add the filling, close one end of the roll, and roll like a burrito.
- Add the stems you cut out to a large pot and layer all your rolled cabbage leaves on top of the chopped stems.
- Add the final topping ingredients to a food processor and pulse until completely chopped into a thick sauce.
- Drizzle the sauce over the rolled cabbage.
- Fill the pot halfway with water to cover the rolls completely.
- Let it come to a rolling boil for 5 minutes, simmer, then let it cool for 40-45 mins until completely done.
- Serve with a generous squeeze of lemon and enjoy!
Notes
- For a vegan version of this recipe, you can stuff the cabbage rolls with vegetarian stuffing. You can either remove the beef or use the same stuffing as that used in the vegan stuffed grape leaves recipe.
- You can replace the lemony sauce or top with another sauce as tomato sauce or marinara sauce.
- Try to be careful with tearing the cabbage leaves. While working with the leaves, it’s better to remove the hard ridges in the middle of each cabbage leaf.
- You can prepare the stuffed cabbage rolls ahead like the night before, and then cook them the next day. If you choose to do so, don’t add the topping at this point. Add it instantly at the time of cooking.
- If you choose to sauté the onion (I HIGHLY recommend it for amazing flavor), finely dice it and sauté it then add it to the beef and rice mixture before continuing with the rest of the filling.
Love love love these. I’ve made the Eastern European version of these and they were ok, but following this recipe made me realize that the Mediterranean version is so so much better. My go to recipe to take to pot lucks. Love it!!!
I was so scared making this for the first time but your recipe made it easy and I was able to successfully make my first malfouf dish and it was delicious! Thank you
Thank you for sharing your malfouf recipe. On occasion I make these recipes and forget the specific ingredients to it. I love the one from Palestine specifically. Quite delicious !