This tutorial is all you need to make the BEST vegetarian stuffed cabbage rolls! You’ll love the Mediterranean-style rice filling with tomatoes, onions, loads of fresh herbs an a few warm spices. This recipe comes straight from my mother’s kitchen; a one-pot meal that is delicious and comforting. Vegan and Gluten Free! And you can prepare them a bit in advance, so they’re ready to cook any night of the week.
If you haven’t made cabbage rolls before, don’t worry. I have the step-by-step for you below along with a video for how to make stuffed cabbage rolls (toward the bottom of this post).
My quick unstuffed cabbage rolls are great for weeknights, but when I want the real deal, I turn to my mom’s recipe for vegetarian cabbage rolls. It’s a childhood favorite; so comforting and tasty.
These are quite different from the large, meat-heavy cabbage rolls that are most familiar to us here in the States. These cabbage rolls are prepared Mediterranean-style with a tasty vegetarian rice filling with tomatoes, onions, fresh herbs and spices, very similar to Greek stuffed onions!
You do not need to heat up the oven, these cabbage rolls are cooked stove-top. You can do most of the prep, including stuffing and assembling the cabbage rolls the night before (I’ll tell you all about this in just a bit.)
How to Prepare Cabbage for Stuffing
This recipe uses green cabbage, which is readily available almost year-round, but especially during the fall and winter months.
To make cabbage rolls, you need to start by preparing the cabbage–softening and separating the cabbage leaves, then cutting them to the desired size.
In this recipe, we start by simply blanching the whole head of cabbage in boiling water. The first layer of leaves will begin to soften in a couple minutes or so, I use a pair of tongs to remove them. The process is simply repeated from there (be sure to watch the video below.)
Once the cabbage leaves have cooled, we cut them to the desired size from there. My mom likes to serve cabbage rolls that are bite-sized and easy to manage. They are absolutely divine!
What’s in the cabbage rolls filling?
The secret to these Mediterranean-style stuffed cabbage rolls is in the filling. Like I said earlier, it’s a vegetarian rice filling that’s big on Mediterranean flavors from fresh herbs and spices. Here’s what’s in it:
-Long-grain rice
-Shredded onions
-Chopped tomatoes
-Fresh herbs: lots of chopped fresh parsley and dill
– Spices: a combination of cumin, allspice and a touch of cayenne, add depth and flavor
– Extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil)
– Tomato sauce and a bit of water. The liquid here helps the rice cook properly
Let’s walk through the step-by-step for how to make these Mediterranean-style stuffed cabbage rolls:
Step-by-step for Vegetarian stuffed cabbage rolls:
(Video and print-friendly recipe to follow)
1. Prepare the cabbage leaves. Remove and discard the first couple leaves of cabbage. Cut just a little bit of the end about 1/4″ inch or so and place the cabbage in boiling water. Cook for a couple of minutes until the outer layer of cabbage leaves is tender. Remove, using a pair of tongs. Repeat the process until the last layer of leaves.
Set aside to cool briefly. Once cooled, cut each cabbage leaf into halves or thirds, removing any thick veins.
2. Now prepare the rice stuffing mixture. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice, shredded onions, herbs, spices, oil, 1/2 can of tomato sauce and 1/4 cup water. Mix together with a spoon.
3. Prepare a Dutch oven or cooking pot. Lightly oil a large Dutch oven or heavy cooking pot. Line the bottom with a few cabbage leaves, sliced onions and sliced tomatoes (this serves as a nice bed for our small cabbage leaves.)
4. Now begin to roll the cabbage leaves. Take a piece of cabbage and place on a flat surface, coarse side up. Add about 1 tsp of the rice stuffing mixture on the end of the leaf closest to you.
Roll up the cabbage leaf to completely enclose the stuffing. Fold in sides as your roll. Repeat with the remaining cabbage pieces or leaves.
5. Arrange cabbage rolls in prepared pot. Layer the cabbage rolls, seam-side down, in the prepared Dutch oven or pot.
Top the cabbage rolls with with the remaining 1/2 can of tomato sauce, and about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of water (water should barley reach the top layer of cabbage rolls). Sprinkle a pinch more ground cumin.
6. Get ready to cook the cabbage rolls. One helpful tip from my mom: top the cabbage rolls with a small plate, this keeps them well in place and prevents them from opening up or getting messy.
Cook on high heat for 5-7 minutes until the liquid reduces to half. Reduce the heat to low. Leaving the small plate in and cover the pot with its own lid. Cook for 30 minutes then remove the plate, but cover again with the lid only.
Cook for another 15 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed completely and the rice filling is cooked through.
7. If you’re not in a hurry, leave the cabbage rolls undisturbed for about 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer to serving platter or individual plates.
Can I prepare these cabbage rolls ahead of time?
It does take a bit of time to roll the cabbage leaves, so you can absolutely do this part one night in advance. Assemble the stuffed cabbage leaves in the pot you intend to cook them in but do not add the sauce or water until you are ready to cook.
Cover tightly and refrigerate. When you are ready to cook, top the cabbage rolls with tomato sauce and add water. Follow cooking instructions.
What to Serve Along?
I often serve these cabbage rolls as a vegetarian main. To start the meal, I add a big salad like Fattoush or Balela and a hearty Mediterranean dip like Baba Ganoush.
Here’s the Video for How to Make these Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls
More Recipes to Try:
Quick Roasted Tomatoes with Thyme and Feta
Greek Boneless Leg of Lamb (slow cooker or braised)
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PrintVegetarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: serves 6 to10 1x
Description
Mediterranean-style stuffed cabbage rolls with a vegetarian rice filling, packed with fresh herbs, tomatoes, onions and spices. Be sure to watch the video just above and review the step-by-step photos.
Ingredients
- 1 medium green cabbage
- Water
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 1/2 cup shredded yellow onion
- 1 tomato, chopped or diced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin, more for later
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, more to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (see our Greek olive oil option here)
- 1 15-oz can tomato sauce, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 1–2 Roma tomato sliced
Instructions
- Remove and discard the first couple leaves of cabbage. Wash in cold water. Cut approx 1/4″ off the bottom of the head and place the whole head of cabbage in boiling water. Boil about 2 minutes. Peel off the softened leaves, using a pair of tongs. Continue the same process, peeling off the blanched layers of cabbage leaves as they soften. Set aside to cool briefly.
- Once cooled, cut each cabbage leaf into halves or thirds, removing any thick veins.
- Now prepare the rice stuffing mixture. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice, shredded onions, chopped tomato, herbs, salt and pepper, spices, oil, 1/2 can of tomato sauce and 1/4 cup water. Mix together with a spoon.
- Lightly oil a large Dutch oven or heavy cooking pot. Line the bottom with the sliced onions and sliced tomatoes.
- Take a piece of cabbage and place on a flat surface, coarse side up. Add 1 tsp (more if leaves are larger) of the rice stuffing mixture at the end of the leaf closest to you (see photo). Roll up the leaf to completely enclose the stuffing. Repeat with the remaining cabbage.
- Layer the cabbage rolls, seam-side down, in the prepared Dutch oven/pot. Top with the remaining 1/2 can of tomato sauce, and about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of water (water should barely reach the top layer of cabbage rolls). Add a pinch more ground cumin.
- Top the cabbage rolls with a small plate. Cook on high heat for 5-7 minutes until the liquid reduces to half. Reduce the heat to low. Leaving the small plate in, and cover the pot with its own lid. Cook for 30 minutes, then remove the plate but cover with the lid only. Cook for another 15 minutes or until the liquid has been completely absorbed and the rice stuffing mixture is cooked through.
- If you’re not in a hurry, leave the cabbage rolls undisturbed before transferring to a serving platter or individual plates. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cook’s Tips for Preparing Ahead: It does take a bit of time to roll the cabbage leaves, so you can absolutely do this part one night in advance. Assemble the stuffed cabbage leaves in the pot you intend to cook them in but do not add the sauce or water until you are ready to cook.Cover tightly and refrigerate. When you are ready to cook, top the cabbage rolls with tomato sauce and add water. Follow cooking instructions.
- Cook’s Tip: These cabbage rolls are smaller. You will have a large pot of them to feed a small crowd as a side dish. As a vegetarian entree, you can easily feed up to 6 people with sides and salads (see suggestions above)
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in the fridge in a tight-lid container for 3 to 4 days. Warm over medium heat, adding a little bit of liquid if needed.
- Try our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives)
- Don’t miss our Ultimate Mediterranean Spice Bundle (quality all-natural and organic spices). Visit our SHOP!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
*This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2015 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit. Enjoy!
How do you think I can add black beans to this dish? Do you think I can mash them and add them to the rice mixture?
Thanks
Henretta, traditionally, black beans are not added to this recipe, so I am not sure if it would work. But if you do want to try it, you could add some to the rice mixture. I don’t think you will need to mash them, although you certainly can.
I LOVE THIS RECIPE BUT I AM LOOKING FOR A FREEZER FRIENDLY METHOD THAT YOU CAN BAKE.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO PRE COOK THE RICE BEFORE MIXING THE FILLING AND STUFFING THE CABBAGE? I AM THINKING IF YOU PRECOOK THE RICE, YOU COULD PUT EVERYTHING IN THE PAN (JUST LIKE YOU WOULD THE POT METHOD), THEN FREEZE. WHEN YOU TAKE IT OUT OF THE FREEZER, YOU COULD THEN THAW IT A BIT AND COOK IT IN THE OVEN. WHAT DO YOU THINK? HAVE YOU EVER DONE THIS BEFORE?
IRENE
Hi, Irene. Great question! I have not actually tried to freeze cabbage rolls before, but your idea certainly makes sense. I think it could really work, and I’d be curious to know when you try it. Make sure it thaws enough and then add some liquid and tomato sauce to the pan before you bake. Good luck!
I made a lot of these and froze some leftovers after cooking via the boiling method outlined here (they were at room temperature prior to freezing, of course!). Reheated in the oven, around 375-400 for 20 minutes or so, they turned out even better than fresh. Hope this helps!
Great! Thank you for sharing!!!
Hello, I’m making this right now to use up some of the glut of cabbage from my garden. I am guessing the recipe should say 1/4 *cup* oil but can you confirm please?
That is correct, Laura! Enjoy!
These look amazing! One question – is the rice cooked or uncooked in the stuffing mixture?
Thank you, Sadie! The rice is uncooked in the stuffing mixture. 🙂
Hi Suzy, stuffed cabbage leaves. My wife keeps threatening to make some, but I’m still waiting. I’m intrigued by the preparation of the leaves, I peel mine dry and then take off the excess of the stem. Then blanch, probably making life difficult for myself.
My best efforts turned out like these:
http://www.fdathome.co.uk/thai-parcels-gomadare-sauce/
Ciao.
Checked out your cabbage rolls, David! Love them! Ya, I used to think you had to break the cabbage apart before boiling; this is so much easier!
I love the sound of this Suzy. Looks delish!
Looks wonderful Suzy!
Look great!
I made stuffed cabbage yesterday! But not vegetarian! Sharing.
Those look amazing and I can totally understand how it is difficult for you to step back and let someone else “do” for you. I get that. I think you are like me and a giver and to have someone else do for you is hard to accept but sometimes there are times when you just need to sit back and embrace the fact that someone else wants to gift you with something, right? I love cabbage rolls and these look amazing and simple enough to make. Thanks to you and your lovely mom!
Beth Ann, you are right, my good friend! It is difficult to step back. Mom’s cabbage rolls are delicious, and I enjoyed being fed by her. In fact, I’m hoping she’ll make something else before she leaves 😉 Let me know if you ever try this recipe
I don’t know if you have noticed but your middle-eastern dishes are quite often red, white & green – like the middle eastern flags … no garlic !!! yay !!!
I haven’t really noticed, Pauletta. How neat! Great to hear from you!
Wow, your mother can cook for me anytime. It’s been such a long time since my mother cooked for me. Probably 20 years. I loved the dishes she made but she never made stuffed cabbage rolls for me. As a kid I hated cooked cabbage because of the smell. 🙂
It is a treat to have mom cook for me, but my OCD self gets in the way sometimes 🙂 Yes, boiled cabbage has a bit of a smell. My kiddos react to that as well, but they still eat the cabbage rolls!
I need a mop… For all the drool. Cabbage rolls are so amazing
Thank you, Andrea! I love cabbage rolls; hope you give them a try some time!
It’s always good to have some vegan options for stuffed veggies! Thanks!
I agree, having some vegan options is helpful. Many recipes for stuffed cabbage rolls include lots of meat. This is definitely a lighter version, but very tasty as well 🙂
I can feel the love that went into making this dish. Great post and photos! Definitely going to give this one a try.
Hi Stephen! Thanks for stopping in! Yes, this dish comes with loads of love. And it’s yummy 🙂
These look amazing
Thank you, Lindsey! You will let me know if you try it, right? Hugs