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    Home > Holidays and Seasonal > Christmas

    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    Published: Dec 23, 2015 · Modified: Jan 27, 2021 by Valya's Taste of Home · This post may contain affiliate links · 34 Comments

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    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    Today I want to share one of my multiple requested recipes for Cabbage Rolls. And for good reason. Cabbage Rolls are basically the trademark of Ukrainian cuisine. A timeless delicacy. Throughout my cooking experience, I've noticed that cabbage rolls are made many different ways, but this popular dish’s place is secure on the holiday table. I am sharing a recipe that is very special to me as it was passed down by my mother. But it is also special in the way it turns out and tastes.

    I’ve had many comments from people trying them at gatherings outside of home, stating that these Golubtsi are especially delicious. As with anything, too often of anything and it becomes ordinary. I try not to make Golubtsi very often, mostly for holidays, to keep it a special main dish during family gatherings. Many times, however, someone or other in my family would request them for a regular Sunday after church family lunch.

    I remember growing up in Ukraine, my mom made them for major holidays and we as kids couldn't wait for those certain holidays, because we knew mom would make Golubtsi and potato salad. The anticipation was basically unbearable. Who remembers that? Upholding traditions matter.

    Tell me your stories in the comments below. Do you prepare certain recipes for holidays to make holidays a little more special? I would love to know. We love them very much in my family. And my kids as well, consider it a special dish and look forward to certain holidays to enjoy delicious food like Golubtsi and other food traditionally prepared especially for the holidays.

    Everyone have their own ideas for holiday food, but Golubtsi are on everyone’s lists. It wouldn’t be Christmas without Golubtsi. Cabbage Rolls is one of those recipe, although we have a chance to make it every day, thanks to our great God! Enjoy this special blessing and the holidays! 🙂

    Ingredient:
    1.5 lbs. – ground beef (I make my own)
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    1 large – cabbage
    2 cups – long rice
    3 small – carrots
    1 medium – onion
    1 stick – salted butter
    ¼ cup – organic tomato paste
    ¼ cup – ketchup
    1 cup – heavy cream
    1 tbsp. – salt
    1 tsp. – garlic salt
    1tsp. – vegeta (or Mr. Dash) seasoning
    ½ tsp. – ground black pepper
    8 oz. – organic tomato sauce
    Bay leaves
    Olive oil for sautéing
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    Instructions:
    1. Steam the rice. Bring half of a large pot of water to a boil. Pour rice. Reduce heat to low. Cover the pot with cap. Stir it from time to time so the rice does not stick to the bottom of a pot. After 5 Minutes of simmering turn the heat off, close the pot lid tight and let it simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. Then drain the rice through the strainer and rinse it well with cold water. Set aside for the water to drain.
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    2. Peal and discard the top two leaves from each cabbage. Cut out the core of the cabbage.
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    3. Place cabbage into a pot with boiling water (do not reduce the heat) cork down, for about 2 minutes, then rotate and continue cooking another 1-2 min. Pull off leaves as they begin to soften. Repeat this step after pulling out 2 leaves from a cabbage. Remove the leaves to a large glass bowl that has a lid. After all the cabbage leaves are steamed close the lid tight. This will finish the steaming process for the cabbage leaves to become soft and prevent from cracking during folding.
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi
    4. Place cut onions onto a large skillet and add 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Sautee for couple of minutes on med/high heat. Add shredded carrots. Sauté for 5 more minutes stirring it from time to time. Add ½ stick of salted butter. Sautee for another 2 minutes stirring constantly. Then add ketchup and tomato sauce. Stir until all well combined, and sauté for couple more minutes.
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    5. Add heavy cream, stir well, and sauté for 5 minutes on low heat stirring it every minute. Remove for the stove top and set aside until ready.
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    6. Place drained rice into a large bowl. Add ground beef (I make my own ground meat, see here). Mix well. Add carrot and sauce mixture, and mix well until all rice, meat and carrot gravy is all well combined (I prefer to use a spoon to mix it not hands). Then all the seasoning – salt, garlic salt, vegeta or Mrs. Dash seasoning, and pepper to taste (of course. We like our golubtsi with little spices and saltier).
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    7. I like to organize my leaves by sizes; it’s easier for me to fold golubstsi this way (optional).
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    There are two ways of rolling golubtsi:
    WAY 1 - larger leaves:
    Trim off the hard thick center of each leave. Find the center edge and split the leave in half with hands. Place 2 rounded table spoons (or as much as it fits into a certain leave size) onto an edge of one half of the leaf. Roll the leaf into a cone shape with the thicker part of the leaf at the base and stuff the wide part into a roll (see picture).
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi
    WAY 2 – smaller leaves:
    Trim off the hard thick center of each leave. Place as much rice mixture as it fits into a cabbage leave. Fold it into a roll. Stuff/push in each end of leave into the roll.
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi
    Arranging the rolls:
    1. Place the very first leave of the cabbage onto a bottom of the pot you will be cooking the cabbage roll in. Make sure the pot is safe enough to be in the oven for longer period of time (I use a special very thick metal pot that has no plastic on it. You can use cast iron that has no plastic on it as well). Arrange the roll evenly on the bottom of the pot. Drizzle with tomato sauce. Place couple of bay leave on different sides of the pot in between the roll. Then place another layer of roll and repeat the tomato sauce drizzling (not too much bay leaves, it will make golubsti bitter tastings, just enough for little aroma).
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    2. Then lay out all the left over and small leave on very last row of golubsti to prevent the rolls from darkening or burning. Spread the rest half stick of cut into pieces butter on top of the rolls. Cook golubtsi in preheated 350 F oven for 1 hour. Then reduce the heat to 250 F and cook them for 3 more hours. Remove from the oven and serve right away. Left overs can be refrigerated. Reheat golubtsi on the skillet or oven.
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    Enjoy!
    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    Recipe Card

    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

    Valya's Taste of Home
    4.34 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins
    Cook Time 4 hours hrs
    Total Time 5 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
    Course Main Dish
    Servings 12 -14

    Ingredients
      

    • 1.5 lbs. – ground beef I make my own
    • 1 large – cabbage
    • 2 cups – long rice
    • 3 small – carrots
    • 1 medium – onion
    • 1 stick – salted butter
    • ¼ cup – organic tomato paste
    • ¼ cup – ketchup
    • 1 cup – heavy cream
    • 1 tbsp. – salt
    • 1 tsp. – garlic salt
    • 1 tsp. – vegeta or Mr. Dash seasoning
    • ½ tsp. – ground black pepper
    • 8 oz. – organic tomato sauce
    • Bay leaves
    • Olive oil for sautéing
    Read More

    Instructions
     

    • Steam the rice. Bring half of a large pot of water to a boil. Pour rice. Reduce heat to low. Cover the pot with cap. Stir it from time to time so the rice does not stick to the bottom of a pot. After 5 Minutes of simmering turn the heat off, close the pot lid tight and let it simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. Then drain the rice through the strainer and rinse it well with cold water. Set aside for the water to drain.
    • Peal and discard the top two leaves from each cabbage. Cut out the core of the cabbage.
    • Place cabbage into a pot with boiling water (do not reduce the heat) cork down, for about 2 minutes, then rotate and continue cooking another 1-2 min. Pull off leaves as they begin to soften. Repeat this step after pulling out 2 leaves from a cabbage. Remove the leaves to a large glass bowl that has a lid. After all the cabbage leaves are steamed close the lid tight. This will finish the steaming process for the cabbage leaves to become soft and prevent from cracking during folding.
    • Place cut onions onto a large skillet and add 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Sautee for couple of minutes on med/high heat. Add shredded carrots. Sauté for 5 more minutes stirring it from time to time. Add ½ stick of salted butter. Sautee for another 2 minutes stirring constantly. Then add ketchup and tomato sauce. Stir until all well combined, and sauté for couple more minutes.
    • Add heavy cream, stir well, and sauté for 5 minutes on low heat stirring it every minute. Remove for the stove top and set aside until ready.
    • Place drained rice into a large bowl. Add ground beef (I make my own, see here). Mix well. Add carrot and sauce mixture, and mix well until all rice, meat and carrot gravy is all well combined (I prefer to use a spoon to mix it not hands). Then all the seasoning – salt, garlic salt, vegeta or Mrs. Dash seasoning, and pepper to taste (of course. We like our golubtsi with little spices and saltier).
    • I like to organize my leaves by sizes; it’s easier for me to roll golubstsi this way (optional).
    • There are two ways of rolling golubtsi:
    • WAY - larger leaves:
    • Trim off the hard thick center of each leave. Find the center edge and split the leave in half with hands. Place 2 rounded table spoons (or as much as it fits into a certain leave size) onto an edge of one half of the leaf. Roll the leaf into a cone shape with the thicker part of the leaf at the base and stuff the wide part into a roll (see picture).
    • WAY – smaller leaves:
    • Trim off the hard thick center of each leave. Place as much rice mixture as it fits into a cabbage leave. Fold it into a roll. Stuff/push in each end of leave into the roll.
    • Place the very first leave of the cabbage onto a bottom of the pot you will be cooking the cabbage roll in. Make sure the pot is safe enough to be in the oven for longer period of time (I use a special very thick metal pot that has no plastic on it. You can use cast iron that has no plastic on it as well). Arrange the roll evenly on the bottom of the pot. Drizzle with tomato sauce. Place couple of bay leave on different sides of the pot in between the roll. Then place another layer of roll and repeat the tomato sauce drizzling (not too much bay leaves, it will make golubsti bitter tastings, just enough for little aroma).
    • Then lay out all the left over and small leave on very last row of golubsti to prevent the rolls from darkening or burning. Spread the rest half stick of cut into pieces butter on top of the rolls. Cook golubtsi in preheated 350 F oven for 1 hour. Then reduce the heat to 250 F and cook them for 3 more hours. Remove from the oven and serve right away. Left overs can be refrigerated. Reheat golubtsi on the skillet or oven.
    • Enjoy!
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    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

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    Cabbage Rolls - Golubtsi

     

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    Comments

    1. Elena says

      November 22, 2024 at 1:11 pm

      Hello, can you freeze already cooked cabbage rolls? Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Valya's Taste of Home says

        November 23, 2024 at 12:03 am

        Of course! Then let them thaw in the fridge before reheating it. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Oksana says

      May 26, 2022 at 8:34 pm

      I made these Cabbage Rolls today, taste turned pretty good, but NOT the look. They looked raw, the same as I put them in the oven drizzled with tomatoe sauce, even though they were in the oven for 4 hours.
      Your cabbage rolls look appetizing, brown orangish.
      Oksana

      Reply
      • Valya's Taste of Home says

        May 27, 2022 at 2:36 pm

        That means your oven is not as strong as mine and you need to cook them until they are fully cooked and look like mine brown-orangish. Thanks for asking!

        Reply
    3. Natalya says

      November 08, 2019 at 4:28 pm

      Hi Valya. Thank you for the recipe. Can i freeze the cabbage rolls?

      Reply
      • Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says

        November 08, 2019 at 7:48 pm

        Yes, you can. Thaw them in the fridge before baking.

        Reply
    4. Olga says

      April 16, 2019 at 12:31 pm

      If you reheat in oven, how many degrees and for how long?

      Reply
      • Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says

        April 16, 2019 at 7:10 pm

        Reheat Cabbage Rolls at 325 F. The time length will depend on how you're gonna layer them out on a baking sheet. If you're planning to lay them out in a single layer about 10 rolls then I would heat them for about 7 to 10 minutes.

        Reply
    5. Olga says

      September 07, 2018 at 8:38 pm

      Hi, How would do you reheat these?

      Reply
      • Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says

        September 08, 2018 at 9:30 pm

        There are many ways to reheat them. In the oven, toaster oven, on the stove top pan, etc...

        Reply
    6. Bernie says

      May 08, 2018 at 4:38 am

      Hi
      I'm going to make these one the weekend (and I'm super excited!) but I'm a bit confused. What do you mean by "tomato sauce"? In Australia, tomato sauce is the same stuff as ketchup but as you also have ketchup in the recipe I'm not sure what to use for tomato sauce. What's the difference?
      Thanks

      Reply
      • www.valyastasteofhome.com says

        May 08, 2018 at 4:27 pm

        You can use tomato paste instead of sauce or just add extra ketchup if you don’t have the paste either. Let me know how you like it. 🙂

        Reply
    7. Lena says

      November 30, 2017 at 6:13 pm

      Hello! :)Thank you very much for this awesome recipe!! My mom and I made Golubtsi with Turkey meat, the day before thanksgiving.. oh they were sooo good!!!
      I used tomato sauce not tomato paste, because I wasn’t sure where to put tomato paste and they were in the oven I think a little more than 3 and a half hours.. very good recipe!!! Thank you again!!!!!

      Reply
      • www.valyastasteofhome.com says

        November 30, 2017 at 6:37 pm

        I'm so glad to hear that you loved the recipe. I don't make them very often just for major holidays and my kids cannot wait to enjoy them for this coming up Christmas. Thanks for sharing your experience with me! 🙂

        Reply
    8. l za says

      November 25, 2016 at 2:31 pm

      Do i really need to keep them in the oven for 4 hours? Have you experimented with less time?

      Reply
      • valya'stasteofhome.com says

        November 25, 2016 at 9:16 pm

        You can adjust cooking time if you don't like golubtsi to be soft.

        Reply
    9. Luda says

      September 24, 2016 at 10:04 pm

      5 stars
      Did you put water before you put golubtsi in the oven?

      Reply
      • valya'stasteofhome.com says

        September 24, 2016 at 10:36 pm

        Hi Luda. No I don't. I put tomato sauce in between the cabbage roll layers. Then at the end I place some butter on top layer. Tomato sauce releases water, butter melts, it's plenty of liquid. You don't want to make golubtsi to watery. They do turn out pretty moist and soft. I hope this helps.

        Reply
        • Luda says

          September 24, 2016 at 11:05 pm

          Wow thank you I will try I liked ??
          I will try your way
          Thank you God bless your family

          Reply
          • valya'stasteofhome.com says

            September 25, 2016 at 12:36 am

            You are very welcome! Enjoy! God's blessings to you as well.

            Reply
    10. Galina says

      April 20, 2016 at 4:36 pm

      What's a good side dish to go with golubtsi?

      Reply
      • valya'stasteofhome.com says

        April 20, 2016 at 4:49 pm

        I personally like with https://www.valyastasteofhome.com/ukrainian-potato-salad-olivie-салат-оливье AND https://www.valyastasteofhome.com/homemade-rye-bread.

        Reply
    11. Irina says

      January 02, 2016 at 5:01 pm

      Just what I need, golubtsi recipe with beef 🙂 thank you!

      Reply
      • valya'stasteofhome.com says

        January 04, 2016 at 12:03 am

        You are very welcome! Enjoy!

        Reply
    12. Ziz'ka says

      December 29, 2015 at 7:07 am

      Definetly will make them soon. I have never made golupzi always my mom mame or mom in law... so it is going to be my turn.. thank you for explaining that well...

      how about potato golupzi you know like traditional urkainian food for Christmas eve...

      Reply
      • valya'stasteofhome.com says

        December 29, 2015 at 1:03 pm

        Thank you. Let me know how they turn out for you.

        Reply
    13. svetasrecipe says

      December 28, 2015 at 2:53 pm

      Wow it looks very beautiful you can also check out my version on my blog! -Happy Cooking

      Reply
      • valya'stasteofhome.com says

        December 28, 2015 at 3:28 pm

        Thank you Sveta! 🙂

        Reply
    14. Nadia says

      December 26, 2015 at 4:52 am

      Oh my goodness, these are so mouthwatering! Will have to make them soon. Great post!

      Reply
      • valya'stasteofhome.com says

        December 26, 2015 at 7:07 pm

        Thank you Nadia! They are really good 🙂

        Reply
    15. Galina says

      December 24, 2015 at 8:55 pm

      I really want to try your golubci recipe, they look delicious.

      Reply
      • valya'stasteofhome.com says

        December 26, 2015 at 7:06 pm

        Thank you Galina! I made double portion of it and it was gone in one day. 🙂

        Reply
    16. Katy says

      December 23, 2015 at 2:14 pm

      These look so delicious! You did a good job on explaining the steps! I am craving these now, hopefully I can make these sometime soon!

      Reply
      • valya'stasteofhome.com says

        December 23, 2015 at 4:06 pm

        Thank you Katy! Golubtsi is a must have dish on our holiday table, so I thought I'll share this recipe with all of my readers too. Not only us can enjoy this goodness during coming up holidays. 🙂

        Reply
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