Cabbage Rolls (Holubtsi): Classic Recipe and Every Variation | Costless
Cabbage Rolls (Holubtsi) — Classic Recipe and Every Variation (Classic, Lazy, Baked)
Cabbage rolls (holubtsi) are a dish Ukrainians make both for everyday dinners and for big family celebrations. Cabbage leaves wrapped around a hearty meat filling, simmered in a tomato-and-sour-cream sauce, fill the whole kitchen with their aroma and taste just as good hot or the next day. Below we break down the classic recipe, the most popular version of lazy cabbage rolls, oven and slow-cooker methods — and at the end we add up how much it costs to make a full pot for the family.
Cabbage rolls (holubtsi) are cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling of minced meat and rice boiled until half-cooked, with a sauté of onion and carrot. The rolls are simmered in a tomato-and-sour-cream sauce for 40–60 minutes until the cabbage is tender, and served hot with sour cream and fresh herbs.
Cabbage rolls at a glance: time, servings, difficulty
- Prep time: 40 minutes (prepare the cabbage, filling and sauté)
- Simmering time: 60 minutes
- Total time: about 1 hr 40 min
- Yield: 20–25 cabbage rolls (5–6 servings)
- Difficulty: medium — the longest part is removing and prepping the cabbage leaves
- Calories: ~130–170 kcal per 100 g (depends on the meat and the richness of the sauce)
What cabbage rolls are and where the dish comes from
Cabbage rolls are a filling wrapped in cabbage leaves and simmered in sauce. The principle of "wrap the filling in a leaf" is found all across Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East: from Ukrainian holubtsi made with white cabbage to Transcarpathian ones in sauerkraut and Caucasian dolma in grape leaves.
In Ukrainian cuisine the classic filling is minced meat with rice and a sauté of onion and carrot, while the sauce is based on tomato and sour cream. The dish is hearty yet balanced: cabbage and rice add volume, the meat brings richness, and the sour-cream sauce makes the rolls tender. They are not hard to make, but they take time and a little patience for the wrapping — which is why cabbage rolls are often made in a big batch ahead of time and frozen.
Ingredients for cabbage rolls
The list splits into four parts: cabbage, filling (meat + rice), sauté and sauce. Approximate quantities — for 20–25 cabbage rolls (5–6 servings).
Cabbage
- White cabbage — 1 large head (about 2 kg)
Filling
- Pork-and-beef mince — 600–700 g
- Round-grain rice — 150 g (about 3/4 cup)
- Onion — 2 pcs.
- Carrot — 2 pcs.
- Salt, black pepper — to taste
Sauce
- Tomato paste — 2–3 tbsp (or 400 g sautéed tomatoes)
- Sour cream 20% — 200 g
- Water or broth — 400–500 ml
- Bay leaf — 1–2 pcs., whole peppercorns, salt — to taste
To serve
- Sour cream — 1 spoonful per serving
- Fresh herbs (dill, parsley) — to taste
Classic cabbage rolls recipe
This is the basic recipe for classic cabbage rolls with white cabbage. Boil the rice only until half-cooked — it will finish cooking while the rolls simmer, otherwise the filling turns gummy.
- Prepare the rice. Rinse the rice and boil it in salted water for 7–8 minutes — until half-cooked. Drain in a colander and let it cool.
- Make the sauté. Finely chop one onion and one carrot (the carrot can be grated) and sauté in oil for 5–7 minutes until soft. Set aside half of the sauté for the sauce.
- Mix the filling. Combine the mince, the half-cooked rice, the second finely chopped onion and half of the sauté. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
- Prepare the cabbage. Cut out the core, lower the head into boiling water for 5–10 minutes and gradually peel off the softened leaves. Trim or pound flat the thick rib at the base of each leaf so it rolls up more easily.
- Wrap the rolls. Place 1–2 tbsp of filling on the edge of a leaf, fold in the sides and roll it up like a little parcel. Don't pack it tightly — the rice will still swell.
- Make the sauce. To the second half of the sauté add the tomato paste, sour cream, water or broth, salt and spices. Stir until smooth.
- Simmer. Pack the rolls tightly into a pot or roasting pan seam-side down, pour over the sauce so it almost covers them, drop in a bay leaf and simmer covered over low heat for 50–60 minutes until the cabbage is tender.
- Serve. Let the rolls rest for 10 minutes, then serve them hot, drizzled with sauce, with a spoonful of sour cream and fresh herbs.
Tip: to keep the rolls from scorching, line the bottom of the pot with a few extra cabbage leaves or a little of the sauté — they act as a "cushion" and stop the bottom layer from sticking.
Lazy cabbage rolls
Lazy cabbage rolls are the quickest version, for when there's no time to wrap each leaf. The cabbage is shredded and mixed straight into the filling, so you get the flavour of classic cabbage rolls without the painstaking process. This is the most popular request among all the variations of the dish.
The base filling is the same: mince, half-cooked rice, onion and carrot, but instead of wrapping you add finely shredded cabbage (300–400 g) right into the meat. From there you shape the dish in one of three ways.
Lazy cabbage rolls in a pot
Form the mixture into small patties or balls, roll them in flour, lightly fry them, place them in a pot, pour over the tomato-and-sour-cream sauce and simmer covered for 35–40 minutes. The closest flavour to the classic.
Lazy cabbage rolls in the oven
Place the patties or the whole mixture in a baking dish, pour over the sauce and bake at 180 °C for 45–50 minutes. You can make it as a casserole — in an even layer — and then cut it into portions.
Lazy cabbage rolls in a frying pan
Fry the shaped patties on both sides until golden, then pour over the sauce right in the pan, cover with a lid and simmer for 25–30 minutes over low heat. The fastest method — ready in under an hour.
How to prepare and choose the cabbage
The cabbage is the most crucial part of cabbage rolls. It determines whether the leaves wrap up easily and whether the dish turns out tender.
- Regular white cabbage: remove the leaves by boiling the head for 5–10 minutes, or freeze the head overnight and thaw it — the leaves become pliable without boiling.
- Young cabbage: the leaves are thin and tender, so just scalding them with boiling water is enough. Rolls made with young cabbage are the fastest and most tender — perfect in early summer.
- Napa cabbage: the most tender option for quick cabbage rolls. The leaves need almost no preparation, and rolls like these simmer twice as fast.
- Sauerkraut: the base of Transcarpathian and Transylvanian cabbage rolls — it gives a characteristic tang. Whole pickled leaves are rinsed and used just like fresh ones.
- Grape leaves: for dolma — smaller cabbage rolls. The leaves are brined or fresh, the filling is the same, but it's wrapped much more finely.
Cabbage rolls with potato (meat-free)
A meat-free version. The filling is made from raw grated potato squeezed of its juice, with an onion sauté — the result is something between cabbage rolls and potato pancakes. Sautéed mushrooms are often added for richness. They are wrapped the same way in cabbage leaves and simmered in tomato sauce (without sour cream if you want it fully meat-free) for 50–60 minutes. Serve with a mushroom gravy or a meat-free sauté.
Cabbage rolls in the oven and slow cooker
Besides the pot, classic cabbage rolls turn out wonderfully two other ways:
- In the oven: place the rolls in a baking dish or roasting pan, pour over the sauce, cover with foil and bake at 180 °C for 60–70 minutes. Remove the foil 10 minutes before the end so the top browns lightly. Great for a big batch.
- In a slow cooker: arrange the rolls, pour over the sauce and cook on the "Stew" ("Simmer") setting for 60 minutes. Convenient, because you don't have to watch the heat, and the cabbage comes out very soft.
How much the ingredients for cabbage rolls cost
Cabbage rolls are a budget-friendly dish: cabbage, onion and carrot are inexpensive all year round, and the main expense goes on the mince. A big pot of cabbage rolls works out cheaper per serving than most meat dishes, because the cabbage and rice substantially increase the volume of the filling.
An approximate basket for 20–25 cabbage rolls is one head of cabbage, 600–700 g of mince, a cup of rice, onion, carrot, tomato paste and sour cream for the sauce. The real total depends on the store and the week: the price of the same mince or sour cream can differ noticeably between chains.
Before you head out for groceries, compare prices across supermarkets and find the best offers on the Costless deals page. We collect and update supermarket prices every week, so you see the current shelf price rather than an outdated one.
Here is the full basket of ingredients for classic cabbage rolls — add it to your shopping list and compare prices for each product at stores near you.
Tip: add the mince and sour cream to your favourites on Costless and set a price-drop alert — you'll catch the sale right when you're about to make a big batch of cabbage rolls.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you simmer cabbage rolls?
Classic cabbage rolls with white cabbage are simmered for 50–60 minutes over low heat until the cabbage is tender. Young or napa cabbage cooks faster — 30–40 minutes. In the oven allow 60–70 minutes, in a slow cooker — 60 minutes on the "Stew" setting.
How do you cook the rice for cabbage rolls?
Boil the rice only until half-cooked — 7–8 minutes in salted water, then drain it in a colander. It will finish cooking while the rolls simmer. If you use fully cooked rice the filling turns gummy, and if you use raw rice the rolls have to simmer much longer.
How do you make lazy cabbage rolls?
Mix the mince, half-cooked rice, sautéed onion and carrot, and finely shredded fresh cabbage. Shape into patties, fry them or place them in a baking dish, pour over the tomato-and-sour-cream sauce and simmer in a pot for 35–40 minutes, bake in the oven for 45–50 minutes, or simmer in a frying pan for 25–30 minutes.
How do you remove the leaves from a cabbage for cabbage rolls?
Cut out the core and lower the head into boiling water for 5–10 minutes, gradually peeling off the softened leaves. A no-boil alternative is to freeze the head overnight and thaw it: the leaves become pliable. Trim or pound flat with a rolling pin the hard rib at the base of the leaf.
Can you freeze cabbage rolls?
Yes. You can freeze raw wrapped rolls (without sauce) — then simmer them without thawing, adding 10–15 minutes to the time. Cooked cabbage rolls also keep well in the freezer for up to 2–3 months and don't lose their flavour after reheating.
What do you serve with cabbage rolls?
The classic serving is hot cabbage rolls drizzled with sauce, with a spoonful of sour cream and fresh herbs. Fresh bread and boiled or mashed potatoes pair well. Cabbage rolls are self-sufficient, so they are often served as a main course without a side.
Love Ukrainian classics? Try also Classic Red Borscht, Potato varenyky and Classic Potato Pancakes (Deruny).