My Polish Mother's Stuffed Cabbage Roll Golumpki Recipe - The How-To Home (2024)

Today I want to share with you a recipe for traditional stuffed cabbage rolls, also known as golumpki or golabki, which was given to me by my Polish mother, Rita. This family favorite is a true classic casserole dish and a meal the whole family will love!

I like to serve this for Christmas, Easter, and picnics! When taking on a picnic the best way I have found to keep the stuffed cabbage is in this container - which is also great for keeping cold salads cold.

If you're a cabbage fan like me, you can check out my other cabbage recipes here and my other ground beef recipes here.

I like to serve this easy stuffed cabbage meal with homemade mashed potatoes, and green beans, or my Grandma's Potato Salad if I'm making these for a picnic.

Here is a photo of the original recipe I got from my mother when I was a teenager.

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😋 Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Minimal ingredients
• Can be made ahead
• Can be easily frozen for a weeknight meal

🥘 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. Full instructions and amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• green cabbage
• ground meat
• white rice
• onion
• egg
• tomato sauce or tomato soup
• a little salt and black pepper, to taste

See recipe card for quantities.

📋Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Thefull recipeand instructions as well as nutritional information can be found in therecipe cardat the bottom of the page.

Start by prepping the green cabbage. Remove the tough outer leaves and cut out the core. Place the whole cabbage head in a deep pot of boiling water and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the outer leaves are pliable. Remove from the pot and carefully separate the leaves, being careful not to tear them. If the leaves aren't coming off easily you can return it to the pot of boiling water.

Cut the hard fibrous member away from the top of each leaf. I like to slice in a downward motion to remove it. This will allow the stuffed cabbage to roll up in a nice little bundle.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, cooked rice, chopped onion, egg, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

Take one tender cabbage leaf and place a small amount of the meat and rice mixture in the center.

Roll the cabbage leaf up tightly, tucking in the sides as you go. Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and meat mixture.

• In a separate bowl, mix together the tomato soup mixed with 1 can of water or 1 can of tomato paste thinned with water. Pour half of the tomato soup mixture into the bottom of a large baking dish.
• Arrange the cabbage rolls on top of the tomato sauce mixture in the baking dish. Pour the remaining tomato soup mixture over the top of the cabbage rolls.

• Cover the baking dish with tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 1-½ to 2 hours, or until the cabbage is tender and the meat is cooked through.
• Finally, sprinkle with some fresh parsley and serve hot, garnished with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

This stuffed cabbage recipe is a classic comfort food that is sure to warm your heart and fill your belly.

There you have it, my mother's recipe for stuffed cabbage rolls. This dish is perfect for a cozy night in or for sharing with friends and family.

Free Grocery List Printable

🍴Substitutions

• Brown Rice- instead of regular rice.
• Ground pork or ground turkey- use in place of the ground beef.

📖 Variations

• Stove top- Use a heavy Dutch oven or your heaviest pan with a lid. If you have leftover cabbage leaves, place them on the bottom of the pan first to prevent burning and top with the homemade cabbage rolls. Pour half of the tomato soup mixture in the bottom of the pot, stack the stuffed cabbages and then top with the remaining half of the soup mixture. Bring pot to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat and simmer for about an hour. It takes less time because you bring it to a boil much faster on the stove top. Uncover occasionally to make sure they are cooking and to see if more liquid is needed.
• Slow Cooker / Crock Pot Recipe- Pour half of the tomato soup mixture on the bottom of the crock pot. Layer the cabbage rolls and pour the remaining sauce on top. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
• Worcestershire Sauce- some people love the flavor it adds to beef and you want to 'jazz' up this recipe a bit add 1 to 2 teaspoons for every pound of ground beef.
• Italian Version - add minced garlic or garlic powder (1 teaspoon), Italian seasoning (1 teaspoon) and top with your favorite marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

All recipe substitutions and variations can be found in the note section of the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

🍽Equipment

Dutch Oven, Slow Cooker, or Casserole Dish

🧊Make Ahead Freezer Meal

This easy cabbage roll casserole recipe can be made ahead and frozen for a weeknight meal.

• To freeze cabbage rolls prep them until the point of adding the sauce. We want these to be sauce-free for the freezer. Freeze in freezer bags or use a vacuum sealer. I have this one and it's available at a great price point and so helpful for prepping meals ahead of time.
• Choose a bag that corresponds to the number of cabbage rolls you want to freeze in a package.
• Place the rolls in a single layer in the freezer bag and press gently to remove the excess air.
• Seal the bag, then label and date it. I like to label and date before I seal but either way works fine.

When you're ready to eat the cabbage rolls remove as many rolls as you need and either leave in the storage bag or place in an airtight container and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then, proceed with cooking process as outlined in steps 6, 7, and 8 in the instructions.

🍱Storage

Allow the leftover casserole to come to room temperature and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card below ⬇️ you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please give it a 5 star rating.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.