Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Tomato Juice | Grandma's Way

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are perfect for those looking to indulge in something comforting and delicious. The recipe calls for wonderfully healthy cabbage stuffed with ingredients we love and then slowly oven-baked until tender.

In this recipe, there is an option of adding quinoa into the fillings, which provides an incredible texture and adds protein. What could be better?

You can use many types of cabbage to create the perfect stuffed cabbage roll recipe.

How To Make Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

It all starts at the grocery store. Finding the best head of cabbage is the key to an excellent cabbage roll. Look for a head of cabbage that is firm to the touch and has a pleasant, fresh aroma. The color should be vibrant green, purple, or yellow.

Grocery Store Options

• Green Cabbage
• Red Cabbage
• Napa Cabbage

How to Remove Cabbage Leaves From The Head

Two Methods

Method 1:

• Cut the base.
• Boiled in salted water.
• Peel away each layer of the head of green cabbage inside the boiling water.

Method 2: Cut off the root base of the cabbage, but do not cut too low, as you want the stem for presentation.

To avoid the leaf's tearing, make additional cuts at the base when needed.

The cabbage needs some love before trying to roll them. The cabbage is firm and will break, moving straight into the rolling process. We need to par-boil them first.

Preparing The Cabbage To Be Rolled

You'll need 10 to 12 cabbage head leaves to fill a 9 by 13 casserole dish. I suggest cooking two additional pieces in case one breaks or rips.

The Process:

1. Fill a large pot with water, about ⅔ of the way, and season with enough salt that the water will taste salty.
2. Add 1 ½ Tablespoon of kosher or sea salt.
3. Bring the pot of water to a soft boil and add the cabbage leaves.

Par-boil for 2 minutes. The idea is to soften the cabbage leaves for rolling; we are not "cooking" the leaves at this point.

Have a bowl with ice and water ready to shock the cabbage once the outer leaves have been parboiled. After 3 minutes, add the cabbage to the ice bath immediately.

Cabbage Roll Filling

Using a food processor, add:

• Ground pork (1 pound)
• Lean ground beef (⅔ pound)
• One green onion (pre-chopped)
• Six mushrooms with stems (washed)
• 2 teaspoon garlic salt

Mix the ingredients, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.

If you do not have a food processor, chop the ingredients into the size. Think about the mouthfeel when eating the stuffed cabbage rolls. Then mix in a large bowl using a spatula and work the ingredients into an evenly mixed base.

Example of the filling texture after the food processor.

The next step is preparing the additional ingredients. These do not go into the food processor because of the added texture.

Add the onion (1 cup chopped), tomato (½ cup chopped), and ½ cup of jasmine rice or your favorite white rice.

Option: instead of adding half a cup of rice, add ¼ cup of white uncooked rice + ¼ cup of quinoa.

Chopped tomato to the size you see below.

How to Shape and Fill the Cabbage Rolls

Step 1: Shape each filling all at once into 10 to 12 servings, depending on the size of the cabbage leaves. This will ensure you have enough to fill each leaf evenly.

Step 2: Place one cabbage leaf on a clean surface. Add the meat mixture to the cabbage leaf. Not in the middle, yet position the filling closer to the end away from the stem. This will ensure a beautiful presentation from the stem.

Step 3: Roll the cabbage edge over on top of the filling

Step 4: Tuck the left and right sides of the cabbage leaf on top of the front of the filling.

Step 5: Complete the roll, and roll the leaf on top one last time. Place each package into the casserole dish or dutch oven. Add tomato juice/sauce to the bottom of the cookware before adding.

Step 6: Finishing, pour the tomato sauce over the stuffed cabbage rolls, covering each cabbage roll.

Cabbage Roll Tomato Juice Recipe

You can use either straight tomato juice or V8 juice. I enjoy the extra flavor that V8 juice offers.

Combine all ingredients listed below

• 24 oz can of Tomato Juice or V8 (V8 Suggested)
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flake
• 2 teaspoon of Fennel Seed (crushed) helps release the natural oils and flavors
• 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
• 2 teaspoon Chili Powder (I like using San Antiono Chili Powder)
• 1 teaspoon Black pepper

Calling All Quinoa Lovers

For a recipe remix, sprinkle quinoa between the cabbage rolls. After cooking, the quinoa will be light and fluffy, offering an added texture.
Remember, quinoa has a real texture that some people are sure to enjoy. Others, maybe not so much since this moves away from traditional stuffed cabbage rolls.

Baking Instructions

Cover the casserole baking dish with aluminum foil.

• Bake @ 325 degrees for one hour

• After one hour, increase oven temperature to 350 for an additional 30 to 40 minutes
• Cook until tender

Slow Cooker or Sous Vide

A slow cooker like the crockpot is an excellent choice for cooking cabbage rolls. Lay as many as possible into the slow cooker and add the tomato juice to cover. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Sous Vide Method

Guaranteed tender. The cabbage rolls slowly cook away in an airtight sealed bag in a temperature control water bath for 8 hours. Place the cabbage rolls into a food saver bag lined up neatly. Add enough tomato juice to cover and seal the bag removing the air.

Once cooked, you can cool down the cabbage rolls and then freeze them directly in the cooked sealed bags.

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