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Three cabbage rolls in tomato sauce in a white bowl, seen from above

Gołąbki (Polish stuffed cabbage rolls)

Prep 45 min Cook 1 hr 30 min Total 2 hr 15 min Servings 8

By Lukasz Jagiello

Published Sep 19, 2026 · Updated Oct 28, 2026

Recipe
About this recipe

Tender cabbage leaves are wrapped around a juicy filling of ground pork, beef, rice and onion. They bake slowly in a tomato sauce with bay and a touch of sugar. The rice goes in undercooked and finishes in the oven. The rolls bake seam-side down, mostly covered in sauce, so they stay closed and moist. Ready in about 2 hours 15 minutes, they also freeze well.

Tip: Put the rice in the filling before it is fully cooked. It finishes in the oven and soaks up juices from the meat and sauce without turning to mush. Trim the thick rib from each leaf so it rolls tightly without cracking. Bake the rolls seam side down, mostly covered in sauce. This keeps them closed and juicy through the long, slow bake.

Techniques in this recipe

Ingredients

  • Cabbage
  • Filling
  • Sauce and bake

Method

  1. 01

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil and stir in 1 tbsp salt. Core the cabbage deeply with a sharp knife so the leaves can peel away.

  2. 02

    Lower the whole cabbage into the boiling water. As the outer leaves soften, 2 to 3 minutes, peel them off with tongs and set them on a towel. Keep going until you have 12 to 16 large leaves. Trim the thick rib on each leaf flat with a knife so the leaf rolls without cracking.

  3. 03

    Meanwhile, cook 150 g rice in salted water until just shy of tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and let it cool until it is only warm to the touch.

  4. 04

    Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chopped onion until soft and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Cool slightly.

  5. 05

    In a large bowl, combine 450 g ground pork, 450 g ground beef, the cooled rice and the onion mix. Add 1 beaten egg, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp marjoram if using. Mix with your hands just until even. Mixing too much makes the filling dense.

  6. 06

    Lay a cabbage leaf flat, rib side down. Put about 60 to 80 g (3 to 4 tbsp) of filling near the stem end. Fold the sides in, then roll tightly toward the tip. Repeat until the filling is used. Chop any leftover cabbage and scatter it over the bottom of a deep baking dish or Dutch oven.

  7. 07

    Whisk together 800 g crushed tomatoes, 240 ml passata, 240 ml stock and 1 tbsp tomato paste. Add 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and the bay leaf.

  8. 08

    Nest the rolls seam-side down in a single layer over the chopped cabbage. Pour the sauce over and around them so they are mostly covered. Cover tightly with a lid or foil.

  9. 09

    Bake at 175C (350F) for 75 to 90 minutes, until the cabbage is very tender when pierced and the sauce has thickened and darkened slightly. Uncover for the last 10 to 15 minutes if you want the tops a little more concentrated.

  10. 10

    Rest 10 minutes, remove the bay leaf, taste the sauce and adjust salt, then serve the rolls with plenty of sauce spooned over.

Notes & swaps

  • Soft leaves roll. If a leaf tears, overlap two smaller ones and treat them as one wrap.
  • Rice should be undercooked going into the filling. It finishes in the oven and stays distinct instead of turning to mush.
  • Do not pack the filling hard. A light hand keeps the rolls juicy.
  • Seam-side down matters. It is what keeps the rolls closed while they bake.
  • Sauce should come most of the way up the sides. Topped-only rolls dry out on the edges.
  • Make ahead: assemble up to a day ahead, cover, and refrigerate. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the bake from cold. Cooked leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated and reheat gently in sauce on the stove or covered in a 160C (325F) oven.
  • Storage: freeze cooked rolls in sauce up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
  • Serve with mashed potatoes or plain buttered potatoes and a spoon of sour cream if you like.

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