Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipes

When it comes to the best recipes for stuffed cabbage rolls, I must tell you that I am a little biased. Even if I wasn't Hungarian by birth, I would probably end up telling you that you must use a Hungarian recipe!

I have written about the humble cabbage roll for years. And, it warms my heart to see that it has become incredibly popular as a comfort food worldwide!

So, today, I am showcasing a couple of Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls recipes that I think you will love. I have selected a pork stuffed cabbage recipe along with the heirloom recipe of June Meyer. It's hard to pick just one!

Be sure to also check out my personal recipe that I learned from my grandma Julia Nagy. She had a special secret ingredient that put her Stuffed Cabbage rolls over the top.

Hungarian Pork Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe
Preparation time: 90 minutes. Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2 lbs sauerkraut
1 large head green cabbage
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 tsp of finely chopped garlic
1 lb ground lean pork
3/4 cup cooked rice
2 lightly beaten eggs
2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1/8 tsp marjoram
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1 cup water mixed with 1 cup tomato puree
1 cup sour cream

Instructions:
Rinse the sauerkraut in cold water. Squeeze dry and set aside. In a large saucepan, bring to a boil enough salted water to cover the cabbage. Add the cabbage, turn the heat to low and simmer 8 minutes. Remove the cabbage and let it drain while it cools enough to handle. Pull off 16 large unbroken leaves and lay them on paper towels to drain and cool further.

In a 10-inch skillet, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil, until the onions are lightly colored. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, rice, eggs, paprika, marjoram, the onion-garlic mixture, salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Mix well with a fork or wooden spoon.

Place 2 tablespoons of the stuffing in the center of one of the wilted cabbage leaves and, beginning with the thick end of the leaf, fold over the sides, then roll the whole leaf tightly, as you would a small bundle. Repeat with more leaves until all the stuffing has been used.

Spread the sauerkraut on the bottom of a 5-quart casserole and arrange the cabbage rolls on top of it. Add the water mixed with the tomato puree.

Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover the pan tightly and cook the stuffed cabbage over low heat for 1 hour. Transfer the rolls from the casserole to a warm plate.

Stir in the sour cream to the sauerkraut. Simmer another 5 minutes. Lift the sauerkraut onto a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Arrange the cabbage rolls on the sauerkraut and pour some of the sauce over them. Serve the rest of the sauce in a sauceboat. --elise.com

June Meyer's Heirloom Recipe
Authentic Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Recipe - from pages 106-107

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. ground pork
3/4 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. Hungarian sausage
2 raw eggs
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pepper corns
3/4 lb. rice
2 large bay leaves
2 white onions chopped
3 Tbsp. shortening
1 large head of cabbage
1 bottle or pack of sauerkraut

Instructions: Brown the chopped onion in shortening and place in a mixing bowl with ground meats, raw eggs, uncooked rice, paprika, salt. Mix well with your hands.

Take out the core of the cabbage. Leave the head whole. Place in large pot of boiling water to wilt the outer leaves. You will be able to gently pull off whole cabbage leaves. Trim off thick center vein of cabbage leaves. Make a pile of leaves. Shake off excess water.

Place 2 Tbsp. of meat and rice mixture on a leaf, starting at the thick end. Roll it up and tuck in the ends with your fingers. Make as many as you can.

Arrange the rolls in a cooking pot. Put a few chunks of sausage here and there between the rolls. Cover the rolls two-thirds full of water. Arrange rinsed sauerkraut on top. Sprinkle pepper corns and bay leaves on top. Cover and cook slowly for about 1-1/2 hours or until rice is tender.

This recipe serves 6.

P.S. We have presented her traditional recipe as a gray box jpg up above so that you can download and save it. Simply right click on the image and save to your computer and then print.

How to Make Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls



Say, why not get June Meyer's book?

I love June Meyer's Authentic Hungarian Heirloom Recipes Third Edition and treasure it as a sort of keepsake that I will pass down through my family and create that Hungarian family tradition!

Oh boy, but this is my favorite Hungarian recipe book! You get 95 different recipes which are detailed with love and with family memories.

The book is sprinkled with historical facts of Hungary at the turn of the past century.

You get a good variety of Hungarian recipes from pickles, salads and slaws to soups and dumplings. You've got the main courses along with many side dishes and the important sauces. Don't forget the traditional Hungarian pastries!

The Perfect Comfort Food!
Getting older and thinking back on my memories of Grandma, I realize she knew best. Oh my, but her Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls were the perfect food ... the perfect comfort food. I miss her.

Thanks for visiting!
I hope you seriously take some time to give both of these Hungarian recipes a try. Please share comments, raves, remarks and recipes!

History: Stuffed Cabbage : The Best Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Ever was originally created on Squidoo by JaguarJulie on December 21, 2007. In December 2008, it was voted the 'Best Cooking Lens' in the 2008 Giant Squid Awards Competition for Food and Cooking. On April 16, 2009 this lens earned the Purple Star Award for quality content. This lens made it to the #1 spot overall on Squidoo on April 19, 2009. Then, nearly 5 years later in 2014: January 3 and 30, February 1 and 3, March 28, and April 5. Thank YOU readers!

Carrying on the Easter tradition

What would holidays be without grandma or mom to carry on the tradition? In the last few days, we rearranged our schedules so that we could go visit my mom to celebrate Easter. And, boy are we ever in for a treat.

As I am finalizing hot work projects so that I can celebrate without thinking about work, I sent a quick email to mom to ask her a very important question! Allow me to share with you what I asked, "Mom, Will you have stuffed cabbage rolls? Would you like me to bring any “food” or edibles?" Hey, you see that link there for stuffed cabbage rolls? That's my Squidoo lens on my favorite comfort food. You see, I am half expecting mom to have these; I'll let you know after Easter, OK?

So, mom gets back to me today to give us a hint of the feast she is preparing. Here, let me have mom tell you in her own words:

Julie, now that you asked ... We'll be having roast leg of lamb with pierogies/mushrooms/onions, salad (name your dressing choice) mint jelly, etc. on Saturday.

Sunday a.m. has dry cereals w/milk, orange juice, fruit, and bakery.

Sunday features a honey-baked ham with cheese, potato casserole, stewed apples, asparagus, hard-boiled eggs, etc.

I have all the fixings in the fridge ... in fact, the ham is delicious as I've been snacking for 2 days already and find it so.

Drive carefully and come hungry!!!

So, mom is carrying on the Easter tradition in our family very nicely with a relative smorgasbord of goodies. Definitely got to have that honey-baked ham! Still hoping she is sneaking in those stuffed cabbage rolls.

OK, so don't tell mom, but I went shopping today at our local HomeGoods store to assemble a customized Easter basket. I was going for a yellow Sunflower theme with the fabric basket. In fact, it would go great with this item, Sunflowers, c.1888 Art Print by Vincent van Gogh. I love that art! It is so bright and sunshiny. And, perfect for Easter.

Happy Easter Hugs everyone.

The best stuffed cabbage Hungarian vs Polish recipes

You undoubtedly know that I am the Stuffed Cabbage Queen! I've been talking about stuffed cabbage offline for too many years to report -- actually since I was a young child in Cleveland, Ohio in my grandma Julia Nagy's kitchen. My grandma was the master at preparing stuffed cabbage rolls with her authentic Hungarian recipe. I can remember quite well her telling me that not all stuffed cabbage was prepared correctly. Her recipe included what was the secret ingredient to making her rolls delicious.

Then, along came Martha Stewart who has done a marvelous job in promoting stuffed cabbage with her Polish recipe for golabki. She also has a twist on the stuffed cabbage recipe that includes of all things carrots and apricot preserves. I am part Polish and certainly like Polish food and Polish recipes, but I will save those apricot preserves for the butter horns!

It is incredible how popular stuffed cabbage rolls are today. Stuffed Cabbage has become a worldwide phenomenon. In fact, people are preparing them not only on the stove top, but also in the oven and crock pots!

Normally, I use my crock pot for my stuffed peppers and will sometimes put them in the oven. But, Hungarian or Polish stuffed cabbage really should be made on the stove top in a cast iron pot. Grandma didn't use bacon or put anything to sweeten her rolls. My mom also recently reminded me that grandma used plenty of pepper -- yes, black pepper along with Hungarian paprika.

Want to learn how to make Hungarian or Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls -- authentically? Check out my recipes. Get grandma's authentic Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage rolls recipe -- with that secret ingredient! You know, there is even a vegetarian recipe for Hungarian stuffed cabbage!

Want to learn how to cook the Hungarian or maybe Polish way? Check out these cookbooks that I recommend:

• Cooking the Hungarian Way (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks)
• Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes
• June Meyer's Authentic Hungarian Heirloom Recipes Third Edition
• Hungarian Cookbook: Old World Recipes for New World Cooks, Expanded Edition
• More Hungarian Cookbooks
• Great Polish Cookbooks

Pork and beef stuffed cabbage rolls comfort food

Comfort food for the economic crisis :: pork and ground beef stuffed cabbage rolls! My Hungarian grandmother Julia Nagy was married in 1928, a year before The Great Depression of 1929 -- which happened to be the very same year that my mother was born. Because my grandparents and mother survived perhaps the worst time our economy has faced YET, my grandmother knew a lot about comfort foods.

Grandma's #1 comfort food was undoubtedly her stuffed cabbage rolls. She was pretty well-known for her recipe. Grandma's stuffed cabbage rolls were quite popular with her family and grandchildren. She loved to use a mixture of pork and ground beef to stuff her cabbage rolls. But, it was her "secret ingredient" that made her cabbage rolls so special.

"Not everyone will add that secret ingredient," grandma often reminded us, "but it is that "secret ingredient" that makes all the difference in the taste."

Are you a vegetarian and want a recipe for vegetarian stuffed cabbage rolls? If you prefer pork stuffed cabbage rolls, I've got a recipe for that along with a recipe for the classic pork and ground beef stuffed cabbage rolls.

Our country is facing an economic crisis that is harkening back to The Great Depression. I don't know about you, but I am going to have some of grandma's comfort food, stuffed cabbage rolls.