Recipe

Lazy Cabbage Rolls

Ліниві голубці

A lighter, lazier take on a classic stuffed cabbage. Pork, rice, and tender cabbage shaped into neat little rounds, baked in a tomato and sour cream sauce until deeply savoury.

90 min
ApprenticeApprentice
Eastern European
Lazy Cabbage Rolls

Tender cabbage, rich tomato sauce, and a touch of sour cream: it sounds simple, but together they create something deeply comforting. Add ground pork, a slow bake in the oven, and the whole dish transforms into something that smells like a Sunday at someone's grandmother's house.

This recipe is a lighter take on the classic Eastern European stuffed cabbage rolls, where cabbage leaves are traditionally wrapped around a filling of meat and rice. Here, everything comes together in one bowl and gets rolled into tidy patties that hold their form beautifully and make for a much more relaxed weeknight dinner.

Every cozy meal tells the story of someone who cared enough to cook it.Follow the tips and inspirations below.

Make It Yours

Mix Your Meat:

Try a mix of ground beef and pork for a richer flavour, or go all-beef for a leaner result. Both work beautifully here.

Play With Spices:

Dried onion and garlic powder make a great addition to the sauté, and a small cube of meat stock dissolved into the sauce adds a lovely depth you will absolutely notice.

Sear First, Bake Later:

Once shaped, give the rolls a quick sear over high heat until a crust forms. This keeps them beautifully neat through the whole bake. Watching calories? Feel free to skip this step entirely.

Better the Next Day:

These reheat beautifully the next day. The sauce thickens overnight and the flavour only gets better.

Good To Know

Do Not Overcook the Rice:

It should be parboiled, not fully soft. Soft rice turns mushy during baking and the rolls will fall apart.

Chop the Cabbage Finely:

Take your time shredding it really small. Larger pieces stop the mixture from binding together when you form it, and they need far longer to soften, so you end up with crunchy bits in the middle. Finely chopped cabbage works right into the filling and cooks through evenly as it bakes.

Instructions

Three stages, no rush. Prep, shape, and bake. The filling comes together in one bowl, the sauce is whisked in a jug, and the oven does the rest while your kitchen starts to smell like Sunday.

Stage 1: Prep the Rice and Vegetables

  • Rinse the rice and pour boiling water over it. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then drain and set aside to cool. The rice should be parboiled but still firm, not soft.
  • Finely dice the onion and grate the carrot. Heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion first and cook for 3 minutes, then add the carrot and cook together for another 4 minutes until softened. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  • Finely shred the cabbage and place it in a large bowl. Sprinkle with a little salt and knead with your hands for 1 to 2 minutes until it softens slightly and releases some liquid.

Stage 2: Mix and Shape

  • In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, parboiled rice, half of the sautéed onion and carrot, the shredded cabbage, the egg, salt, pepper, and paprika. Mix well with your hands until everything is evenly distributed.
  • Shape the mixture into round patties or oval rolls, about the size of a golf ball. Do not make them too large or the inside will not cook through evenly.

Stage 3: Make the Sauce and Bake

  • In a jug, mix together the tomato paste, water or broth, sour cream, a pinch of sugar, and garlic. Pour over the dish until the liquid reaches about halfway up the rolls. Add the bay leaf.
  • Cover tightly with foil and bake at 325°F (160°C) with convection, or 350°F (180°C) without, for 45 to 50 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, remove the foil and let the tops crisp up slightly for a little extra texture. The rolls are ready when a skewer slides in easily and the juices run clear. Internal temperature of the meat should reach 160°F (71°C).
  • Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. The sauce will thicken slightly and the flavours will settle. Serve with a spoonful of sour cream on the side, and fresh dill or parsley if you have some.
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Ingredients

For the Rolls

  • 700g ground pork (or pork and beef mix)
  • 100g dry white rice
  • 500 to 600g green cabbage, finely shredded
  • 1 large onion (~150g), finely diced
  • 1 medium carrot (~100g), grated
  • 1 egg
  • Salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to taste

For the Sauce

  • 2 to 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 400 to 500ml water or broth
  • 40g sour cream (low-fat works well)
  • 1 bay leaf, a pinch of sugar, garlic to taste

Nutritional Value

Per serving (approx. 250g, based on 8 servings):

Calories: ~280 kcal

Total Fat: 12g

Carbohydrates: 18g

Protein: 21g

Note: Nutritional values are approximate and may vary based on specific ingredients and portion sizes.

Pantry Notes

Cabbage rolls have been a staple of Eastern European cooking for centuries, with roots stretching across Ukraine, Poland, and beyond. You would not believe it, but the word holubtsi actually comes from the Ukrainian word for pigeon: the small wrapped parcels were thought to resemble the bird. The dish became a symbol of resourcefulness, a way to turn inexpensive, everyday ingredients into something that felt genuinely celebratory at the table.

This is one of those recipes that comes straight from memory. Every summer, after long days of running around outside, the smell of warm tomatoes and cabbage drifting from the kitchen was always a signal that something good was waiting. It is one of those scents that stays with you, and even now, as someone who has travelled and tasted a lot, the flavour of the original never gets old.

This lazy version takes everything that made the classic so memorable and makes it even more impressive at the table: each one bakes up plump and perfectly formed, which turns out to be a surprisingly charming way to serve them to guests.

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