Our recipe for Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls is an authentic family version, modified by four generations of Hungarian-American cooks.
Table of Contents
More about this recipe
We use a simple combination of ingredients that includes a filling made from a blend of ground pork, ground beef and rice, and a thick tomato sauce flavored with chopped cabbage, sauerkraut and a few strips of bacon.
The rolls are then layered with the tomato sauce in a Dutch oven and baked for several hours to allow the rich flavors to develop.
Each generation of our family has adapted this recipe a bit to suit their individual tastes and the availability of ingredients.
While our version of Hungarian stuffed cabbage may not correspond exactly with those of other families or ones you’ll find in Hungarian cookbooks, the flavors remain true to those that my great-grandmother served at her table after emigrating to the U.S. from Hungary more than one hundred years ago.
Four steps to perfectly made cabbage rolls
Forming the cabbage rolls is the only part of this recipe that requires a little practice, but armed with a few easy tips, you’ll get the hang of it quickly.
Once you’ve prepared your cabbage (either by the freezer or steam method outlined in the printable recipe below), separated the leaves, and made your meat mixture, you’re ready to make your rolls.
- To ensure easy rolling, you want to slice off the thickest portion of the center vein of each cabbage leaf (top left photo). To do this, turn each leaf outer side up and insert the point of a paring knife just under the thinnest part of the center vein and slice toward the bottom of the leaf, being careful not to cut all the way through. Reserve the veins to be chopped and added to the cooking pot.
- To add the filling (top right photo), place the trimmed leaf inner side up on a towel. Place 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture at the bottom, center of the leaf.
- Roll the cabbage leaf around the filling, using just enough pressure to make a firm roll without splitting the leaf (bottom left photo). Using a paring knife, trim away the extra cabbage on the sides, leaving about 3/4-inch of unfilled cabbage on either side for tucking in. Set aside the trimmings to be chopped and added to the cooking pot.
- Using your thumb and middle finger on either side of the roll, gently tuck the ends of the cabbage into the meat mixture, forming a dimple on each end (bottom right photo). Set the finished rolls aside as you work.
Serving suggestions
To really enjoy the cabbage rolls and their chunky sauce, serve over mashed potatoes or with buttered dinner rolls for dipping.
Also, although not traditionally Hungarian, we find applesauce is a delicious accompaniment to serve on the side.
Stuffed cabbage leftovers
Stuffed cabbage is one of those dishes that develops more flavor as it sits. Leftovers always taste better, so if you plan to serve this to company, consider making the dish a day or so in advance.
Stuffed cabbage freezes well too. Be sure to defrost it completely before reheating and if you find the sauce is a little watery, uncover the casserole for part of the reheating time so it can evaporate.
More Hungarian recipes
While you’re here, you may want to check out some more of our favorite family recipes:
- Easy Chicken Paprikas (Paprikash)
- Hungarian Noodle Dumplings (Nokedli)
- Instant Pot Chicken Paprikas with Egg Noodles
- Hungarian Cabbage Noodles
- Hungarian Summer Squash With Dill
- Hungarian Crêpes: Palacsinta
Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 medium heads cabbage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt, see recipe notes
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 lbs sauerkraut, rinsed, drained and squeezed dry
- 1 can, 26 to 28 ounce diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can, 6-ounce tomato paste
- 3 to 4 cups tomato juice, divided
- 4 strips hardwood smoked bacon
Instructions
- There are two different methods for preparing the cabbage leaves for rolling.
- One is to core the cabbage and steam the whole heads until tender. The other is to freeze the raw heads of cabbage in advance.
- The leaves will soften as they defrost, eliminating the need for steaming. The freezer method is much easier, but you do need to plan two days ahead.
Prepare The Cabbage Using The Freezer Method:
- Rinse the heads of cabbage and peel away the 2 outermost leaves and discard them.
- Pat each head dry and wrap them tightly with plastic wrap.
- Place the wrapped heads in a freezer bag and freeze until solid, 12 to 18 hours (depending on your freezer).
- Allow at least 24 hours for the cabbages to defrost in the refrigerator. Be sure to place a shallow pan under them as they release a lot of water as they thaw.
Prepare The Cabbage Using The Steam Method:
- Remove the cores and 2 outermost leaves from each head of cabbage.
- Add 2 to 3 inches of water to a large pot fitted with a steaming rack.
- Bring the water to a boil and place a head (or two if the pot is large enough) of cabbage in the pot.
- Cover and steam for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the leaves are tender and pliable enough to separate and roll. It may be helpful to remove the cabbage midway through the cooking time, remove a few of the most tender outer leaves and return the head to the pot to finish cooking.
Trim the cabbage leaves:
- Continue preparing the cabbage leaves for rolling by removing them from the heads, layer by layer. Set the leaves aside, blotting any excess moisture with a kitchen towel as you work.
- Depending on the diameter of your cabbages, you will need between 30 and 40 leaves to accommodate the quantity of meat in this recipe. Reserve the remaining cabbage for chopping.
- To ensure easy rolling, you want to slice off the thickest portion of the center vein of each cabbage leaf (see photo above).
- To do this, turn each leaf outer side up and insert the point of a paring knife just under the thinnest part of the center vein and slice toward the bottom of the leaf, being careful not to cut all the way through. Reserve the veins to be chopped and added to the cooking pot.
Prepare the filling:
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the uncooked rice and stir until nicely coated with oil. Continue cooking, stirring continually, for about 2 minutes, then add the garlic.
- Continue to sauté until the rice is lightly toasted and golden in color, 3 to 4 minutes more. Be sure to stir continuously to prevent the garlic from browning. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Place the pork and beef in a large bowl. Add the salt, pepper, and the cooled onion-rice mixture. Using your hands, combine thoroughly, making sure that the seasonings and rice are evenly distributed throughout the meat.
Make the cabbage rolls:
- To roll the cabbage, place a leaf, inner side up on a towel. Place 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture at the bottom, center of the leaf (see photo above).
- Roll the cabbage leaf around the filling, using just enough pressure to make a firm roll without splitting the leaf (see photo above). Using a paring knife, trim away the extra cabbage on the sides, leaving about 3/4-inch of unfilled cabbage on either side for tucking in. Set aside the trimmings to be chopped and added to the cooking pot.
- Using your thumb and middle finger on either side of the roll, gently tuck the ends of the cabbage into the meat mixture, forming a dimple on each end (see photo above). Set the finished rolls aside as you work.
Prepare the sauce:
- Once you’ve used up all of the meat, take what’s left of the cabbages along with the trimmed veins and ends, chop them roughly and place them in a very large bowl.
- Add the sauerkraut and, using your hands, mix well.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and 1 cup of the tomato juice. Combine thoroughly.
Bake the cabbage rolls:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a large pot or Dutch oven (7 to 8 quart – see notes) with nonstick spray. Place a 3/4-inch thick layer of the chopped cabbage-sauerkraut-tomato mixture in the bottom. Layer some cabbage rolls on top, keeping them 1/2-inch or so from the sides of the pot. It’s fine for them to be close together.
- Add another, thinner layer of chopped cabbage, then more cabbage rolls, repeating as needed, finishing with a layer of chopped cabbage.
- Pour 2 more cups of tomato juice evenly over the rolls and around the edges of the pot, making sure all the rolls are moistened. It is not necessary for the rolls or chopped cabbage to be submerged in liquid.
- Lay the bacon strips over the top and cover tightly. Bake for 2 hours, checking midway through the cooking time to see if more tomato juice is needed to keep the rolls moist.
- After 2 hours, test for doneness by cutting one of the cabbage rolls in half and tasting to see if the rice is tender. If not, return the pot to the oven for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Recipe Notes
About the Seasoning
You’ll note that the only seasoning listed in our instructions is added to the meat-rice mixture. The diced tomatoes and tomato juice contain quite a bit of salt as does the bacon that’s layered on top, so resist the urge to add more than we call for. A few extra grinds of black pepper can’t hurt though.What to Use for Cooking Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
We cook our stuffed cabbage in a 7-1/2 quart Dutch oven, but any large pot or casserole will do. The important thing is to cover it tightly, so if you don’t have a tight-fitting lid, use heavy-duty aluminum foil and be certain to check for excessive evaporation.Nutrition Information
Special Note: Recipes such as this vary from family to family and region to region, and they continue to evolve as they are passed down through the generations, often depending on changes in personal tastes, access to ingredients and sometimes even dietary restrictions. We welcome comments about recipe variations and family traditions, but please be polite and respectful.
Dale Konyha says
Quite similar to my Dad’s recipe which he modified from my Grandma’s. We took Dad’s meat combination of beef, pork and veal equal parts to beef, pork, ground turkey. 3lbs, 2lbs and 2 lbs. in the same order. Since we have a Hungarian owned meat market near us, we can get everything we need for the properly stocked Hungarian kitchen. At times my grandma would use barley instead of rice, nice change up. Our daughter who won’t touch anything that has veal in it doesn’t like barley either. The best time of year for making this is now.
Dad also used his meat mixture into stuffed zucchini which we will be doing too.
Bonnie c says
This is a good recipe and very close to mine. I put bacon on the bottom of the pot and there is no problem with anything sticking and you get that flavor throughout the dish. I use v 8 juice for the tomatoes. Our three generations of Hungarian cooks don’t use garlic in our version of this. Each village in Hungary has their own twist to many dishes and we come from the “no garlic in this” school of thought. We also half cook our rice and add it to the meat mixture. I love making these in a crockpot.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Bonnie,
Thank you for sharing your family’s version of stuffed cabbage. You’re right, there are so many variations and they all sound delicious!
Nancy Childs says
This recipe sounds so good. I have been looking for one that uses Tomato Juice for a long time. Will definitely try this.
Alyssa says
Tomato juice? Is that the same as canned tomato sauce? I want to make this tonight but am a little confused about the tomato juice. Please advise, thanks!
Alyssa says
Ok, coming back to comment. Time consuming? Yes. Difficult? No. Best stuffed cabbage I’ve ever had? Resounding YES! So delicious and savory 10/10 recommmend. Although, I was confused about the Tomato juice I decided to just follow the recipe… (that is why food bloggers work so hard writing them)- followed to a T and it was amazingly delicious. Nothing worse than spending half the day making something that doesn’t turn out- well, that was not the case today! Thank you for sharing!
Lynne Webb says
Hi Alyssa,
I’m sorry I didn’t get to answer your question about the tomato juice before you started cooking, but I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the stuffed cabbage. This is truly a favorite of mine and I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Alyssa,
You definitely want tomato juice, not tomato sauce. Its liquid consistency is needed to tenderize the cabbage leaves and steam the filling inside. There is some tomato paste in the recipe that will thicken the sauce as the liquid cooks down. Hope this answers your question.
Jan kahl says
This is exactly how my late Mother made them! I’ve never attempted to make them but going to try this Christmas!
Lynne Webb says
Hi Jan,
I’m sure they’ll turn out great. Enjoy!
joyce says
I also use sauerkraut
but I add brown sugar in between
the layers of cabbage and sauerkraut
delicious
Lizette says
My late Hungarian father in law made, in my opinion, the best stuffed cabbage but like you stated recipes vary from region to region but one thing I noticed on this recipe is that you don’t use any paprika
Ann Iseda says
I was going to add some to mine. And since I am making it vegetarian, I’ll add a little liquid smoke.
Julia Ann says
This is very close to the recipe my father taught me 50 years ago that his mother taught him 80 years ago. So I’m at least 3 rd generation by as my grandmother came from Hungary I suspect it goes back many generations. One difference is that we add Hungarian paprika and caraway seed and sometimes add pork sausages. I was craving this on vacation recently when I had limited kitchen space and utensils so I used the same ingredients to make a soup that was not as great as the rolls but still excellent
Lynne Webb says
Hi Julia Ann,
The paprika and caraway seeds are traditional flavors that many folks add to their family stuffed cabbage recipes. A soup is also a good idea too when you don’t have the time or tools to make the rolls. Thanks for sharing your ideas and traditions.
Cliff Buswell says
My cousin’s Grandma Buzash used to use 1/3 beef, 1/3 pork, and 1/3 sausage meat and lots of paprika. I used to be amazed that she could roll tons of them with one hand as she lost her arm before she came to Canada.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Cliff,
I’m impressed that she was able to roll the cabbages with just one arm. That shows true dedication to feeding her family.
Tamyra L Hilts says
Great recipe! I used hot sausage mixed with the burger. Delicious!
Tamyra L Hilts says
Delicious! Added extra kraut also.
Lynne Webb says
Thank you, Tamyra. Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
J Barczi says
I also learned this recipe from my grandmother from Pap, Hungary. She also uses a LOT of paprika in the mixture, moderate amount of salt, and stresses to use very lean ground pork. She also simmers it on the stove for a couple of hours instead of baking it. She doesn’t use sauerkraut.
Lynne Webb says
There are so many variations on this recipe from family to family. Thanks for sharing yours!
Lisa A. says
I love stuffed cabbage. After all, I am half Hungarian. When I make it, I make a large batch and cook them in my electric turkey roaster. That way I free up my oven to cook other things. It works wonderfully. Once the sauce comes to a boil in the roaster, I turn it down to med/low and let the rolls simmer for at least two or three hours or until done.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Lisa,
What a great idea – thanks for sharing it!
Judith says
I am Hungarian born but grew up mostly in Canada. Our family loves stuffed cabbage but since we are now basically just two and a batch doesn’t get eaten right away I make it and freeze in portions. I try to put some kind of smoked meat in alongside the rolls. I have taken a hint from my departed mother, I try to find whole pickled cabbage to make this recipe. The leaves are already softened and the flavour is great! We do use sour cream also and paprika in the meat mixture. Otherwise very similar recipe.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Judith,
The pickled cabbage sounds really good. Our recipe mimics that flavor somewhat by adding sauerkraut. The sour cream in the meat mixture is a great touch. We sometimes add a dollop to individual servings at the table, but I am definitely going to try mixing some in with the meat next time I make a batch. Thanks so much for sharing.
Guy Moszkowski says
My mother was Hungarian ( from Transylvania) and she and my grandmother always used tomatoes, so this is really quite similar to theirs. Based on their version, I would say this could have 2 things. 1) Paprika – They would add a couple of tbsp of sweet paprika to the meat mixture. 2) Sour cream – When ready to serve, they would mix a half tbsp of flour into 3/4 cup or so of sour cream,, then stir that slowly into the sauce as in the recipe. And serve with a little bowl of sour cream so you can add a dollop on top.
Thanks for the recipe, because I did not recall enough of the technique to make it work, and this was exactly what I needed!
Lynne Webb says
Hi Guy,
Although our family never added sweet paprika to the meat mixture, I plan to try it in the next batch of cabbage rolls I make. We do occasionally serve our cabbage rolls with a dollop of sour cream though and it’s delicious! Thanks for your suggestions!
Kathy Schultz says
Receipe just like my mom’s. She also put Ffresh mushrooms in the pot as we all loved mushrooms.
Dan says
This dish was always a firm favourite in my Grandmother’s house, but her recipe was slightly different.
First she would use only veal for the meat but mixed as here with rice (and approximately the same for her stuffed peppers). Veal gives this dish a wonderful flavour you can’t replicate, but granted it’s the Hungarian kosher version rather than traditional.
The second major difference was she did not use tomato – or perhaps only a slight amount. Again it’s personal preference, but tomato flavour does tend to overtake everything else.
The third point was carraway seed which is typically Hungarian and combines with the sauerkraut and vinegary flavours. Add liberally to the sauce.
Lastly – when serving this dish a dollop of smetana or buttermilk was usually added on top!
(sour cream will do) My father told me this dish was often sold by on the streets of Budapest early on New Years day as people made their way home from celebrating and perhaps a lot of drinking. The vinegar content appears to be a hangover preventative and also something of a cure.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Dan,
Thanks for sharing this version of Hungarian Cabbage Rolls with us. Being made with veal, they must be a little lighter in addition to having a very different flavor profile. I will have to give this a try soon.
Geri Moritz says
My Dad was a fireman, and the cook for his firehouse shift. One of the firemen was Hungarian, and showed him how to make cabbage rolls. Our recipe uses 2 pounds of ground beef and 1 pound of ground smoked ham and uncooked rice. We always have Cabbage Rolls on New Years Day, using leftover Christmas ham. I am going to try your recipe (without garlic) to see if the meat roll is more tender. The bacon will add the smoked flavor that the ham did.
elizabeth rorro says
my mom and grandma made this with tomato soup. they said the sauce was not tart. delicious. we also use a piece of pork with cut cabbage on bottom instead of bacon. so delicious making for Thanksgiving. we cook in oven. my grandma came from hungary when small girl
Lynne Webb says
Hi Elizabeth,
I think stuffed cabbage is a great idea for Thanksgiving dinner!
Rhonda Szabo says
I’ve been wanting to make stuffed cabbage for my Dad and myself. My mom would make it all the time. My dad is in a nursing facility so I make him a few of his favorite dishes now and then. He would be so happy for Hungarian stuffed cabbage the way his grandmother made it. Thanks for your recipe. I just need low sodium ingredients.
Eddie says
Can’t understand why there’s no hungarian paprika in the ingredients.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Eddie,
This recipe for stuffed cabbage is my family recipe and as a matter of personal preference, they didn’t add paprika. If you’d like to include it though, add 2 teaspoons per pound of meat. This can be all sweet paprika, or a combination of 1-1/2 teaspoons sweet and 1/2 teaspoon hot.
Sue LoBrutto says
My grandmother came right from Budapest and used to make this all the time. Since her passing, I’ve tried to re-invent Gram’s recipe. She used the Hungarian Paprika in her recipe. So, that’s what I’ve been doing too. I happen to be making it right now. My favorite meal!
Candy Ernst says
Hi
There is also a smoked paprika available, but be careful how much you use . It can be added along with the sweet paprika. Very good!