Mom’s Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

I’ve been making stuffed cabbage rolls for my family for over 30+ years. They take a few hours to make, so when I make them…I make a lot of them and freeze them for later use. They make a nice dinner during the fall and wintertime and don’t take long to reheat. I’ll be giving you the recipe along with detailed instructions on how to freeze them, thaw them and reheat them later on!

Before you get started get all of your ingredients together and the baking dishes, bowls, and tools that you’ll need. As I stated, it will take you a few hours to make them. They’re delicious and well worth your effort.

Mom’s Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup cooked white rice
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/8 cup parsley
1 large egg
1 large head of cabbage
1-2 jars of spaghetti sauce or seasoned Italian tomato sauce
1-2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
non-stick baking spray

Cabbage Prep: Wash head of cabbage. Use a knife to cut off the root end. Carefully remove the leaves laying them out on a plate and stacking them up. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place a few leaves into the water and boil for 3-4 minutes, or until leaves are semi-translucent in color and flexible. Use tongs to take them out of the water and place in a colander. I like to sit my colander in a clean sink with tap water running to quickly cool them down. Repeat this process until all of the leaves are done.

In a large mixing bowl combine together the lean ground beef, cooked white rice, chopped onion, salt, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and parsley. Crack the egg into a measuring cup and lightly whip with a fork. Pour egg into mixture. Add a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce, stir until all ingredients in the bowl are well combined.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray 2 or 3 baking dishes with non-stick baking spray. Pour a little bit of the tomato or spaghetti sauce onto the bottom of the dish. Use a spoon to spread it out in a thin, but even layer.

Lay out the cabbage leafe. Spoon meat and rice mixture into the leaf (at the widest side), fold over ends and then roll up the cabbage leaf around the meat mixture. Place it seam side down in your prepared baking dish.  Continue this process until your baking dish is full. Pour 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of sauce over the top. Continue this process until you’re out of cabbage leaves and/or meat mixture using additional baking pans.

Place baking pans into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes. You need to make sure that the ground beef inside the roll is completely cooked and that everything is soft and hot. During the last 3-4 minutes of the baking process remove pans from oven. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Place back into oven for a few minutes. Remove. Serve cabbage rolls immediately.

How to Freeze Cabbage Rolls: Let them completely cool. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Place fully cooked and cooled rolls on top. Place into freezer for 1-2 hours until partially frozen. Remove. Pack them into freezer storage bags, purge out the air, label and freeze.

How to Thaw and Reheat: I recommend thawing them out in your refrigerator for 4-6 hours. Then reheating in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes. You can sprinkle on fresh cheese or add a little bit of tomato sauce if desired.

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