Cabbage Rolls with Minced Meat Filling
Tender savoy cabbage leaves wrapped around a savory minced meat filling, braised in a dark gravy.
- Preparation
- 40 min
- Cook/bake time
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 40 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
Cabbage rolls are winter soul food par excellence. Soft cabbage leaves envelop a juicy minced meat filling and braise slowly in a rich sauce until everything is buttery tender. There is a little effort involved in wrapping, but the result is a dish that tastes like home. Serve classically with boiled potatoes to soak up the sauce.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Blanch the cabbage leaves
Remove 8 large leaves from the savoy cabbage. Blanch them in boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes until they are pliable. Quench them in ice water and cut the thick central rib flat so they do not break when rolling.
- 2
Mix the filling
Vigorously knead the minced meat with the bread roll, onion, egg, mustard and spices until a uniform filling is formed.
- 3
Wrap
Lay out 2 leaves overlapping each other, distribute the filling on top, fold in the sides and roll everything up tightly. Secure the rolls with kitchen twine or roulade pins. This will give you 4 large rolls.
- 4
Sear and braise
Fry the rolls in clarified butter until brown all over and remove them. Roast the onion and tomato paste in the fat and deglaze with broth. Return the rolls and let them braise covered for 45 to 50 minutes.
- 5
Thicken the sauce
Remove the rolls and refine the sauce as desired with a dash of cream, then let it boil down briefly. Remove the twine and serve the rolls with plenty of sauce.
Our best tips
- Savoy cabbage is more tender and easier to wrap than firm white cabbage.
