Gołąbki (Pork & Rice Stuffed Cabbage)
Tender cabbage leaves wrapped around a savory pork and rice filling, simmered in a tangy tomato sauce. A classic Polish comfort dish with deep, warming flavors.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 28g
Ingredients
- 1 head green cabbage (1 whole head, about 3 pounds)
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ cup white rice (uncooked)
- 1 whole onion (medium, peeled)
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1.5 cups beef or chicken broth
- 3 cloves garlic cloves (peeled)
Instructions
- 1
Set the oven to 350°F and wait until the indicator light or beep tells you it has finished preheating, about 10 minutes.
- 2
Fill a very large pot or Dutch oven with water until it is about two-thirds full, then set it on the stove over high heat and wait until large bubbles roll up from the bottom and break at the surface, about 10 minutes.
- 3
Slice the cabbage in half from root to tip with a large knife, then peel away and discard the outer leaves until you reach the tender inner ones.
- 4
Carefully place both cabbage halves cut-side down into the boiling water, then cover the pot with a lid and wait 8 minutes until the outer leaves turn soft and translucent.
- 5
Using tongs or a long-handled fork, peel away the softened cabbage leaves one at a time and place them flat on a cutting board; repeat until you have harvested 8–10 usable leaves, each about 6 inches across.
- 6
Turn off the heat under the pot; set the softened leaves aside on a clean kitchen towel to cool slightly and let any water drain off.
- 7
Trim the thick central stem from each cooled cabbage leaf by slicing it flat against the cutting board, working the knife just under the stem to remove a thin strip on both sides of where the stem was.
- 8
Mince the garlic cloves until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice (about the size of a pencil-tip dot) using a chef's knife on a cutting board.
- 9
Dice the onion lengthwise from root to tip into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then turn the slices 90 degrees and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch cubes; you should have about 1 cup of small, equal pieces.
- 10
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, about 90 seconds.
- 11
Add the diced onion to the hot oil and cook, stirring once every 30 seconds, for 5 minutes until it turns soft and the edges turn light golden.
- 12
Add the ground pork to the cooked onion and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon into pieces smaller than a grain of rice, for 6 minutes until no pink remains anywhere.
- 13
Stir the minced garlic into the pork mixture and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds until you smell a strong, fragrant aroma throughout the kitchen.
- 14
Stir in the 0.5 cup of uncooked rice and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes until the rice kernels look slightly translucent around the edges.
- 15
Remove the skillet from the heat and let the mixture cool for 5 minutes, then taste it and add salt and pepper until it tastes like a well-seasoned meal.
- 16
Lay one cabbage leaf flat on a cutting board with the stem-end (where it was attached to the head) closest to you, then spoon 3 tablespoons of the pork mixture onto the center of the leaf.
- 17
Fold the bottom edge (closest to you) of the cabbage leaf up and over the filling, then fold the left side over toward the center, then fold the right side over, and finally roll the whole package away from you until it is tightly wrapped and the seam is on the bottom.
- 18
Repeat the filling and rolling process with the remaining cabbage leaves and pork mixture until you have 8–10 tightly wrapped rolls; set them seam-side down on a clean plate.
- 19
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the bottom of a large Dutch oven or covered baking dish, then arrange the cabbage rolls seam-side down in a single snug layer.
- 20
In a medium bowl, whisk together the 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, and 1.5 cups of broth until no streaks of paste remain visible.
- 21
Pour the tomato mixture over and around the cabbage rolls until they are just covered, then cover the Dutch oven with a lid or foil and place it in the preheated oven.
- 22
Bake covered for 45 minutes, then carefully remove the lid (steam will be very hot) and check that the sauce is bubbling gently around the edges and the leaves are tender when pierced with a fork.
- 23
Remove the Dutch oven from the oven using oven mitts and set it on a trivet or heat-safe surface on the counter to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Tools you’ll need
- very large pot or Dutch oven (6-quart minimum)
- large skillet (12-inch)
- chef's knife (8-inch)
- cutting board
- wooden spoon
- tongs or long-handled fork
- medium mixing bowl
- whisk
- large covered baking dish or Dutch oven (4–5 quart)
- oven mitts
- trivet or heat-safe surface
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