A perfect ground pork cabbage recipe – how to cook easy and delicious traditional cabbage rolls

In Romania, we often cook traditional cabbage rolls recipe, although it is not an authentic Romanian dish. The origin of this delicious dish, which is based on the ground pork cabbage recipe, can be found in the Middle East, and over time it became extremely popular in Eastern Europe.

Currently, in countries such as Romania, Hungary, Poland, but even Germany, you will find these cabbage rolls, prepared according to the gastronomic culture of each country.

Today I chose to present you this ground pork cabbage recipe, as it is cooked in Romania, and especially in the Transylvania area, being a faithful copy of the Hungarian cabbage rolls recipe.

Choosing the right ingredients for traditional cabbage rolls recipe

For those of you who visit this blog for the first time, I want to mention from the beginning that I encourage the consumption of organic ingredients, as natural and clean as possible. Regardless of whether we are talking about meat, fruits or vegetables, I strongly recommend you to use ingredients grown or cultivated in small households, because they are much healthier.

So, as the title suggests – ground pork cabbage recipe – this dish is based on two main ingredients:

• cabbage
• ground pork

Obviously, being a versatile recipe, you can opt for ground pork, ground turkey, ground beef, or a combination of several types of ground meat.

In addition to these two main ingredients, we will also need the following:

• tomato juice, preferably homemade
• thyme, which gives a unique flavor to the dish
• salt, black pepper and sweet paprika
• rice
• onion
• water

Optionally, for a kids-friendly version of the traditional cabbage rolls recipe, you can use, like me, carrots for the cabbage rolls stuffing.

Full traditional cabbage rolls recipe

A perfect ground pork cabbage recipe – how to cook easy and delicious traditional cabbage rolls

EaseYourCooking

In Romania, we often cook traditional cabbage rolls recipe,although it is not an authentic Romanian dish. The origin of this delicious dish, which is based on the ground pork cabbage recipe, can be found in the Middle East, and over time it became extremely popular in Eastern Europe.

Currently, in countries such as Romania, Hungary, Poland,but even Germany, you will find these cabbage rolls, prepared according to the gastronomic culture of each country.

Today I chose to present you this ground pork cabbage recipe, as it is cooked in Romania, and especially in the Transylvania area,being a faithful copy of the Hungarian cabbage rolls recipe.

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 9 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Middle East

Servings 15 people

Calories 152 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Pot / Slow cooker / Multicooker
• 1 Knife
• 1 Bowl
• 1 Meat grinder
• 1 Pan
• 1 Spatula

Ingredients

 

MetricUS

 

1x2x3x

• 700 g ground meat pork, beef, turkey or a combination
• 2 pcs large salt pickled cabbage heads sauerkraut
• 70 g rice
• 1-2 pcs carrots
• 1 pc onion
• 2 pcs sprigs of thyme
• 700 ml tomato juice
• 1-2 L water/ sauerkraut juice
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Sweet paprika
• Optional: smoked bone

Instructions

 

• First of all, rinse the rice in water until it becomes completely clear;
  
• Then, it's time to carefully unfold the cabbage leaves and place them in a large sieve to remove excess liquid

  TIP: You can also use fresh cabbage, not just sauerkraut, but then you need to boil it a little before using it, to soften it.
  
• If you choose to mince your meat at home, like me, it’s time to use the meat grinder and place the minced meat in a large container
  
• After making sure that the rice is rinsed enough, finely chop the onion and carrots and sauté the rice, onion and carrots in a heated pan with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Also, add salt, black pepper and sweet paprika
  
• Leave this composition to cool down completely, then add it over the minced meat and mix well
  
• Add salt, black pepper and sweet paprika according to your preferences
  
• Once the composition is ready, it is time to start packing the cabbage rolls, following some important steps. First, spread the cabbage sheet on a wide plate and, with the help of a knife, remove the thicker rib of the cabbage, which could ruin the rolling process
  
• Then, place a teaspoon full of the meat mixture at the bottom side of the cabbage leaf
  
• Before rolling the cabbage sheet, fold the edges, so you can be sure that the filling will not leak during the cooking process
  
• Then slowly roll the cabbage leaf, until the end

  TIP: If it seems to you that the cabbage roll is not well sealed at the ends, you can press with your finger inwards, to close the edge of the cabbage roll well
  
• Repeat the process until you use all the filling composition. If there is any unused cabbage, chop it finely
  
• Now we will start arranging the cabbage rolls in the cooking pot. If you chose to use smoked bone, the first step is to place it on the bottom of the cooking pot
  
• Then, place the cabbage rolls in such a way that they are not crowded, because the rice will swell during cooking
  
• Between the layers of cabbage rolls, use the chopped cabbage that was left after you finished filling the cabbage rolls
  
• After finishing placing the cabbage rolls, pour 700 ml of the tomato juice. Then, add water or sauerkraut juice, until you completely cover the cabbage rolls
  
• Add two sprigs of thyme on top, for extra taste

  TIP: If you don't have sprigs of thyme, you can use dried and chopped thyme in the composition required for filling cabbage rolls.
• Close the lid and cook the stuffed cabbage rolls for 8H 30 MIN using the slow cooking program, at LOW temperature
• After that, open the lid and taste one cabbage roll to find out if it is cooked enough.

  TIP: If you feel like it needs to cook some extra time, close the lid and cook the stuffed cabbage rolls for extra 1-1.5 Hours, using the slow cooking program, on LOW temperature.
• Serve the hot stuffed cabbage rolls with sour cream on top.
  

Nutrition

Serving: 200gCalories: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 9gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 40mgPotassium: 242mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 233IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg

Keyword cabbage, cabbage meatballs recipe, cabbage pie, cabbage pie recipe, cabbage rolls, ground pork, ground pork cabbage recipe, Hungarian cabbage rolls recipe, slow cooker cabbage rolls recipe, traditional cabbage rolls recipe

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Different ways to cook ground pork cabbage recipe

Ground meat and cabbage are two main ingredients that match perfectly. This time I have the pleasure to present you Hungarian cabbage rolls recipe, where as you can see, the final dish resembles to cabbage meatballs recipe.

However, if you want to go for an unstuffed ground pork cabbage recipe, you can use the same ingredients, but without filling the cabbage leaves with the meat composition. Simply, as in the case of lasagna, for example, you can place finely chopped cabbage and the layer of meat, prepared according to the recipe presented above, in layers.

I guarantee that the result will be extremely delicious in both situations.

Also, regarding the filling, know that you can opt for vegetarian cabbage rolls recipe, if you give up meat completely and choose to use more rice, together with finely chopped vegetables.

If you are looking for a delicious vegetarian cabbage dish, try this amazing recipe for sweet cabbage.

If you are looking for an amazing cabbage pie recipe, try this amazing homemade savory cabbage pie made in no time.

So, use your imagination and taste and adapt this wonderful ground pork cabbage recipe to your needs.

The secret for the best traditional cabbage rolls recipe

From my point of view, cabbage rolls must be juicy, soft and tasty. I never liked cabbage rolls that were very dense and dry.

In order to achieve the amazing result, I have been using a Slow cooker with confidence for some time now. In the present case, I used the wonderful Crockpot Express Multicooker, using the Slow cooker function, at Low temperature.

Thus, I have the opportunity to prepare Hungarian cabbage rolls recipe the way I like them, and even overnight, without my intervention being necessary during the cooking process.

So, if you use this slow cooker cabbage rolls recipe, I guarantee that in the morning, when you wake up, you will be able to enjoy some absolutely delicious, soft and juicy cabbage rolls stuffed with ground pork.

In addition, let’s not forget that slow cooking is one of the healthiest cooking methods, because the food is cooked for a long time, at a lower temperature, but which allows for proper cooking, and the nutrients are not lost during cooking through evaporation, as in the case of other cooking methods, such as boiling.

If you are looking for healthy and delicious homemade recipes made with a Slow cooker or a multicooker, don’t hesitate to check out the Crockpot recipes from the blog.

If you simply enjoy cooking the old-fashioned way, on the stove or in the oven, you can simply follow the steps from this ground pork cabbage recipe and make it in your own way.

Kidsfriendly ground pork cabbage recipe

As always, I try to prepare classic, traditional recipes in a way that is pleasing to the children, or as full of nutrients as possible for the children’s harmonious development.

This time, out of the desire to get a kidsfriendly ground pork cabbage recipe, I suggest you use some culinary tricks, like this:

• for children who refuse to eat vegetables in general, I suggest you use finely chopped carrots, which you can add to the composition necessary for stuffing the cabbage rolls; This can also work successfully if you choose to prepare unstuffed cabbage rolls, i.e. simply place the cabbage layer and the meat layer alternately
• for children who have various intolerances, or for those with special diets, you can opt for the vegetarian cabbage rolls version, giving up meat completely, but using more rice and more finely chopped vegetables
• I also strongly recommend, especially for children or adults with digestive problems, who need an intake of natural probiotics, to replace water with sauerkraut juice. Basically, instead of cooking cabbage rolls in a mixture of tomato juice and water, use a mixture of tomato juice and cabbage juice.

Details regarding the production of sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) and implicitly sauerkraut juice can be found in the article dedicated to food preservation methods.

Serving and preservation

In our family, Hungarian stuffed cabbage rolls – “Sarmale” – are served hot, with a little sour cream on top.

In a more elegant way, they are enjoyed by being cut into sections using a fork and a knife, but, most of the time, they are simply mashed with a fork, and the sour cream is incorporated into the mixture of meat and cabbage.

These cabbage rolls or unstuffed ground pork cabbage recipe, depending on your preferences, can be cooked for special occasions, such as Easter or Christmas, or for a simple family meal, like a filling and delicious lunch.

Most of the time, these cabbage rolls will not be enjoyed at one meal, but they can be successfully kept in the refrigerator for several days, in the liquid in which they were boiled, and then heated in a pot or in the microwave only the amount needed for each meal.

Also, if you think you have cooked too many cabbage rolls, you can freeze them, after they have been cooked, using casseroles or sealed bags. It is important that these cabbage rolls are frozen together with part of the liquid in which they were cooked, so that when you enjoy them, they will seem fresh, having been reheated in the liquid in which they were initially prepared.

FAQ’s