In this video, learn how to make classic cabbage rolls with this traditional family recipe passed down by Grandma! These hearty, delicious cabbage rolls are filled with a flavorful combination of seasoned meat, rice, and a savory tomato sauce. Perfect for a cozy dinner or family gatherings, this recipe will bring comfort to your table and warm memories of homemade cooking.
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00:00Sometimes all you want is warm comfort food
00:02from grandma's kitchen, and I've got that today.
00:05I've got grandma's recipe
00:07for old-fashioned stuffed cabbage rolls.
00:09This is not my grandmother's recipe,
00:11but my boss's great-grandmother's recipe,
00:13and it was translated into English like 40, 50 years ago.
00:17So you know this is the real thing, okay?
00:19What I love is that the ingredients
00:21are very few and very simple.
00:23There is one little secret ingredient she adds
00:26that we'll have to talk about later.
00:28So you wanna start with a head of cabbage I've washed,
00:31and you want to loosen up all the outer leaves.
00:34You want the biggest leaves so that they roll easily.
00:36So I like to just kinda cut them off the core
00:40at the bottom and then kind of gently peel it away.
00:43And you'll want about eight to 10 cabbage leaves.
00:46I'll save the inside
00:48and usually make something like coleslaw.
00:51It's okay if they tear a little bit, it'll be fine.
00:54You also need to get your rice cooking.
00:56Adding in, I like a little butter and salt in mine.
01:01Add in your rice.
01:03Once that comes back up to a boil, I'll reduce the heat,
01:06cover it, and cook it until all that liquid's absorbed.
01:09All right, then in a separate skillet,
01:11like a deep, wide skillet,
01:13this is also what I'm going to cook my cabbage rolls in
01:15after I roll them.
01:17I'm gonna bring this water up to a simmer
01:18and then kind of steam my cabbage leaves
01:21to make them soft and pliable.
01:23All right, then you wanna cut out this like,
01:27really tough part of the core
01:29that's gonna help it to roll easier.
01:31So you can just take your knife
01:33and just kind of cut a little triangle.
01:36And then after you steam it, it'll be a lot easier to roll.
01:39Okay, so just kind of drop your leaves in,
01:41let them go for a couple minutes.
01:44A lot of different cultures have different ways
01:45to make the same dish,
01:47just by switching out some of the flavors.
01:49This version is from my boss's great-grandmother
01:53who was from Ukraine,
01:54so this is more of the Ukrainian and Polish style.
01:58But the gist of all of them is the same.
02:00It is beef and rice rolled up in cabbage
02:03and cooked in a tomatoey liquid.
02:05Just cooking them until they're just pliable
02:07and then it really sets this really bright green color.
02:10So you can see how they went from just a dull green
02:13to this really vivid green.
02:15That's what we like.
02:20Okay, rice done.
02:22Cabbage ready.
02:24Now we make our filling.
02:26This special wouldn't smell as good as the pasta one.
02:29Okay, for the filling, super simple.
02:33Now, in the grandmother's recipe, there is not onion,
02:36but I really wanna put onion in here, so I'm going to.
02:39Everything else, I promise, I'm gonna follow correctly.
02:41So I'm gonna finely chop it
02:43and then just mix it in with the ground beef.
02:44Okay, into the bowl, onion.
02:48Okay, and then ground beef.
02:50I'm using just ground sirloin, a little bit leaner.
02:54Really any ground beef will work.
02:56Salt and pepper.
02:58Okay, now this is where it gets a little bit interesting.
03:00A secret ingredient here, a little of this.
03:04This is just MSG.
03:06MSG has kinda gotten a bad rep in the past,
03:09but look, it's a naturally occurring substance.
03:11It really has less sodium than salt does
03:14and its whole purpose is just to boost things,
03:17like wake it up.
03:18All right, and then my rice.
03:20I'm just gonna let it cool off a little bit
03:21before I add it in,
03:22just so it doesn't automatically cook that ground beef.
03:25The other secret ingredient going into this recipe,
03:28just condensed tomato soup.
03:30I mean, this is old school.
03:31This lets you know that this recipe is vintage.
03:34All right, and then I'm gonna add in a beaten egg
03:36and our rice.
03:38The egg is gonna hold everything together.
03:41Also, when I've done cabbage rolls,
03:42we just put the rice in raw and it absorbs as it cooks,
03:46but don't mess with grandma's recipe.
03:49Now we roll.
03:52All right, so place your filling in.
03:55It's all about just tucking in two of the sides
03:57and then rolling up.
03:58You just want it to be sealed.
04:00Then we're gonna cook these packages in our tomato soup.
04:04We are cooking these on the stove.
04:06However, just a little secret.
04:09You could do this in the oven or in a crock pot,
04:13just if you wanna jazz things up.
04:15Classically, over the stove.
04:18So we're gonna take the rest of the tomato soup,
04:21add it into the pot.
04:23I'm gonna add a little bit of water.
04:24Also not in the recipe, but we can't waste that.
04:27As these cook, they are going to leach out
04:29a little more liquid in there,
04:30so it will get a little bit thinner.
04:32Plus, that beefy flavor will also translate
04:34into the tomato mixture.
04:36I'm going to add a little more pepper,
04:38because I like it.
04:40Kinda wanna add a garlic, but I won't.
04:43And then I'm just gonna place my rolls in.
04:46I made more than the recipe called for,
04:48because I don't know, it's just how I do.
04:51Pack them in, they're gonna cook down.
04:53It's gonna be delicious.
04:55Okay, this goes onto the stove.
04:56I'm gonna bring it to a simmer and cook them covered.
04:58It's gonna take a while.
04:59You wanna cook it kind of on a medium low.
05:02You just want them to almost poach in there.
05:04We're gonna cover these and simmer them
05:06for about 45 minutes to an hour,
05:08or just whenever that meat is fully cooked through
05:10and that cabbage is super tender.
05:12Grandma's recipe says actually two hours.
05:14Not sure it's gonna take that long, but we'll see.
05:16About every 20 minutes or so,
05:18you wanna baste the cabbage with that tomato sauce.
05:22It's smelling so good.
05:27It's time to eat.
05:29Yum, oh.
05:31What I love about this dinner is it's got your meat,
05:34your starch, your veggie, all in one dish.
05:37I don't feel the need to make any more sides to go with it.
05:40You can if you want.
05:42So to plate it up.
05:44All right, then I like lots of that tomato sauce on top.
05:48And then I am just gonna add a little bit of fresh parsley.
05:51This is gonna be so delicious.
05:53Like, just what you want, comfort food.
05:56Oh my gosh, so tender.
05:58That just cut through like butter.
06:01You might not think cabbage and beef is glamorous,
06:03but to me, this is like perfection.
06:06Let's see how Grandma did.
06:08Mm.
06:10It's dishes like these that really make you feel
06:12like you just got a big warm hug.
06:16It's just so good.
06:17Simple things are often the very best.
06:21I'm impressed with the tomato soup in there.
06:24It does lend a sweetness,
06:25but it doesn't taste like the tomato soup
06:28that you know from that can.
06:29It's like mixed with all the other flavors
06:32that cooked in it.
06:34It's just a whole new experience.
06:38This should be your dinner tonight.
06:40Just saying.
06:42Mm.