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golabki (real polish stuffed cabbage)

(3 ratings)
cyrene avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Linda Kauppinen
@cyrene
Greenwood, FL

Pronounced go-WOM-bki, also known as cabbage rolls. This recipe is the REAL Polish stuffed cabbage that came from my Aunt Ginny's mother-in-law straight from Poland. It is THE BEST EVER!! You will not be disappointed!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

If you're looking for a taste of traditional cabbage rolls, look no further than this Golabki recipe. Stuffed with a mixture of ground beef, rice, onions, and seasonings, these cabbage rolls are hearty, savory, and just plain good. As the tomatoes simmer with the rolls, they add another layer of flavor with a hint of sweetness. These are a bit of a labor of love and take a while to cook, but they are well worth it.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(3 ratings)
yield 8 to 10
prep time 2 Hr
cook time 4 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For golabki (real polish stuffed cabbage)

  • 3 lb
    lean ground beef
  • 2 lg
    onions, thinly sliced
  • 3/4 c
    uncooked rice, cooked according to package directions
  • 1 lg
    or 2 small pieces of salt pork
  • 3 lg
    cans RedPack whole tomatoes (28 oz each)
  • 2 lg
    heads of cabbage, cored
  • salt and pepper, to taste

How To Make golabki (real polish stuffed cabbage)

  • Cooked rice in a pot.
    1
    Golabki Filling: Cook your rice according to package directions.
  • Browning diced salt pork.
    2
    While rice is cooking, slice the rind from salt pork. Dice the salt pork and place it in a large frying pan. Melt down until salt pork browns. Remove salt pork with a slotted spoon, leaving drippings in the pan. Dispose of browned salt pork.
  • Sauteeing onions in a skillet.
    3
    Add onions to drippings and saute until soft.
  • Ground beef, cooked rice, salt, pepper, and onions in a bowl.
    4
    Put ground beef in a large bowl and add cooked rice, salt, and pepper. When onions are just translucent, add onions and drippings to the meat mixture.
  • Tomatoes added to a pot.
    5
    In a large pot, add the tomatoes breaking them up. Heat slowly.
  • Boiling cabbage in a pot.
    6
    Fill another very large stock pot with water, enough to cover cabbage heads. Bring to a boil. Add cored cabbage heads to the boiling water. Bring to a boil again and cook cabbage until leaves are pliable.
  • Removing out leaves of the cabbage.
    7
    Remove cooked cabbage into a colander to drain. Separate leaves. DO NOT discard torn or outer leaves!!
  • Salt pork and cabbage leaves in a large pot.
    8
    You will need another VERY large stock pot. Put the salt pork rind fat side down on the bottom of the pot. Spoon salt pork drippings in, enough to cover the bottom of the pot. Take the large "extra" cabbage leaves and layer them on top of the salt pork and drippings (this will prevent the stuffed cabbages from sticking during cooking).
  • Rice/meat mixture on top of a cabbage leaf.
    9
    Trim the thick vein off of the back of the cabbage leaf. Place mounded tablespoon of meat mixture on the cabbage leaf (the amount is dependent on the size of the leaf being used so it could be more or it could be less), closest to the veined end of the leaf.
  • Folding the bottom and sides of the cabbage leaf.
    10
    Roll the end of the leaf over the meat, fold the sides in and continue rolling.
  • Completely rolled cabbage leaf.
    11
    Continue until all cabbage leaves are stuffed.
  • Rolled cabbage leaves in the pot.
    12
    Layer the stuffed cabbages into the prepared pot.
  • Shredded cabbage on top of the leaves.
    13
    Shred the remaining cabbage leaves and spread them over the top layer of stuffed cabbages.
  • Tomatoes poured over the cabbage.
    14
    Pour the warmed tomatoes over the layer of shredded cabbage.
  • Pot covered to simmer.
    15
    Cover pot. Slowly bring it to a gentle bubble. Turn down and simmer slowly for 4 hours, until cabbage is done.
  • 16
    **NOTE: We have also done this using a big turkey enameled roaster with a lid in the oven and it works great. You do everything the same using the roaster instead of the stock pot and bake covered in the oven at 350 for 3-4 hours. Enjoy!!
  • https://youtu.be/uj0LcDOxhqE
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