These Cabbage Rolls – Holubtsi has roots in the Ukrainian dishes of my family using traditional inexpensive ingredients.
Cabbage Rolls – Holubtsi
Cabbage Rolls – Holubtsi is a traditional Ukrainian dish of cabbage leaves filled with a rice bacon onion filling then baked until tender.
Recently I have been baking them 2 ways, one the traditional way, with tomato soup but took the idea from the Nalysnyky I love so much and started cooking them with dill and cream.
They are very nice and a great change from the usual way I make them. They have a creamy texture and the dill flavour really comes through and the cream cuts the sourness of the cabbage.
Cabbage Rolls - Holubtsi
Ingredients
- 1 head of cabbage
- 2-3 cups of vinegar
- 3 cups of Minute rice or any long grain white rice you prefer
- 1 lb. of bacon (chopped)
- 1 large white onion (chopped)
- ¼ cup of butter or margarine
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove the core from the cabbage using a sharp knife.
- Place the cabbage cored side down in a large pot, add the 2 cups of vinegar and enough water to cover the cabbage.
- Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat.
- Once the cabbage leaves start to separate from the head, carefully using tongs, remove the leaves. Once all the leave are separated from the head allow to cool.
- In a pot make the rice according to package directions.
- Once rice is done move it to a large mixing bowl and add the butter and pepper.
- Meanwhile in a skillet fry the bacon and onion until cooked through but not crunchy.
- Once the bacon and onions are cooked pour over the rice, drippings included. Stir well to combine thoroughly.
- Take a cabbage leaf and split it down the center removing the tough rib part.
- If the leaves are large, slice the half of the cabbage leaf in half again.
- Place a large teaspoon of the filling at one end of the leaf and roll up tucking in the sides.
- Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.
- Layer the cabbage rolls in a greased casserole dish.
- You can dot with butter, cover with foil and bake in a 325*F over for 1 ½ hours.
- The way we make them is using 1 can of tomato soup mixed with a half can of water and poured over the casserole.
- Bake for the same amount of time but place foil under the dish as it will cook over!
- And most recently I have been baking them with 1½ cups of whipping cream, with a tsp of fresh chopped dill and 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Combine and pour over the cabbage rolls.
- Cover with foil. Bake for 1½ hours.
Freezing Cabbage Rolls
If you are freezing your cabbage rolls you can do it a few different ways :
- Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray lightly with Pam. Place a the cabbage rolls onto the cookie sheet and pop in the freezer. Once the holubtsi is frozen they can be stored in freezer bags.
- Layer the cabbage rolls into a freezer safe container, preferably one that can go straight into the oven. Cover the container well with plastic wrap then secure it down with foil.
This is the way my Mom had always made cabbage rolls too. They look so delicious. This is my favourite way as I am not much of a meat eater. I haven’t had the cream way. I think I will try that next time I make them,.
Shirley, the cream on the holubtsi is absolutely a must try. It is a beautiful option and adds a nice mellow creaminess to the dish. Though tomato is the way I grew up enjoying them they are really great both ways.
I hope you enjoy! Thanks for stopping by.
I very fondly remember a dish I tasted at age 6 (I am now 68) when I went with my mother to her father’s funeral. It was very small stuffed cabbage rolls and I watched my uncle’s Ukrainian grandmother make them. The filling was rice, bacon and onions, and they were only the size of a man’s finger. I am positive they were served cold, sprinkled with vinegar, but maybe the leftovers were served that way, the next day. I want to finally make a batch so I googled to see if I could find a recipe close to what I remember, and BANG! Your recipe looks like the one, and it probably is extremely similar to the one I had, because my mother is from Edmonton, and that’s where the funeral was. I’m going to try it with both of your sauce suggestions.
Kim! I love the tiny cabbage rolls as well but I definitely do not have the patience to roll them that small!
I hope these bring back some good memories for you when you get the chance to make them. I would do two pans and they with both the cream sauce as well as the tomato sauce. They both give a very different finish to the dish.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy your holubtsi!
My family and many others from the area where my mother came from (near Edmonton) would always make holubtsi using soured cabbage.
They were then stuffed with partially cooked rice, onion, crispy bacon bits, salt and pepper. Water is added to the pan before baking to finish cooking the rice, which also helps them swell up a bit.
The ribs and any extra leaves from the sour cabbage are placed on top to help keep the holubtsi from browning. I will eat these hot or cold any day.
For Christmas Eve and Good Friday, my mom would make a batch without bacon.
My mom’s older sister would make perfect, tiny bite-sized holubtsi. Each one would be about half the size of my index finger. I do not have that kind of patience, but I do fondly remember seeing those rows upon rows of perfection when she opened a roaster full of them. Sooo good!
I remember that she had a particular supplier in Edmonton for her sour cabbage.
I didn’t know that people made cabbage rolls any other way until I was an adult. I still much prefer them the way my mom and aunties taught us.
I have made my own sour cabbage for this purpose a number of times. I found that Savoy cabbage works well for this, as the leaves are naturally thin. Once the head is soured, the leaves soften and can be smoothed out quite nicely (Savoy leaves are very wrinkly).
Thank you so much for creating this site. It really helps to keep these wonderful food traditions alive.
I was at a wedding a few weeks ago that was catered by a local catering company that is known for their exceptional Ukrainian food. They had the tiniest cabbage rolls like you mention. I was in awe! I to, do not have the patience to make those tiny rolls!
My dad would make his holubtsi with soured cabbage from the store. It definitely had a different flavour. When I make them, I do very large batches, so I do sour my own cabbage. I have never used Savoy cabbage, though I really should try it, The leaves really do lend themselves to a better rolling experience!
I had a bumper crop of cabbage this year and put many dozen in the freezer. I am definitely looking forward to Thanksgiving this year!
My family was located about 30 minutes from Edmonton and many of us are still scattered in the area.
I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. It feels wonderful to be able to connect with people over food! I agree, we do need to keep these traditional dished and traditions alive. The dishes were simply but incredible!
I tried cooking them with the whipping cream, but the cream curdled. What did I do wrong?
I am not sure what would have caused that to happen?
I have always had the cream stay nice and fluid whenever I have made them.
I will add some at the start of the cooking and will add a bit more during once the holubtsi have thawed from being in the hot oven.
I wish I had an answer for you Gail.
My Ukrainian grandparents came to BC from Alberta and my grandmother made delicious holubtsi. Her recipe was sour cabbage, rice and onion stuffing, broth, and more butter than you could imagine. Grandma never wrote down the recipe, so we’ve had to grill our dad and aunts for info, and we’ve come very close.
My daughter is vegan and has tested and adapted grandma’s recipe, using vegetable broth and plant butter. Slightly different, but still totally delicious!
I shave a sliver off the thickest part of the back of each cabbage leaf and drop those shavings in the bottom of my slow cooker with the brine from the sour cabbage package and some broth. Shaving off the sliver makes the leaves easier to roll. About 4 hours in the slow cooker, cool, and package for the freezer (after the required taste test).
To reheat, if you’re using a vacuum seal bag that can be immersed in hot water, bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop in your bag of frozen holubtsi, set your timer, and grab your plate or bowl. Yummy!!
So many great recipes that our grandparents made often never were written down. I spent many hours in the kitchen watching dishes be created on the fly. In an effort to bring those dishes to the next generation I started to recreate them when I was on my own. With many iterations and lots of taste testing I am quite happy that I am close to those recipes that I grew up enjoying. Your grandmother’s version sounds delicious!
I like your idea of using a vacuum seal bag! I may have to try it. I use that method to reheat smoked brisket and it sure is quick and easy.
That is wonderful your daughter is adapting some of those traditional dishes to fit her way of eating!
Thank you for stopping by!