Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls (Holubtsi)

How to have a Ukrainian Christmas

I mentioned that my grandma gave me this vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls recipe. It was actually printed on a postcard from 1972. I’ve kept the set of postcards in good condition, and am excited to finally share the recipe with you.

I hope to bring you a different Ukrainian recipe every year. Some of my Ukrainian recipes I’ve shared with you are Ukrainian Honey Cake (Medivnyk), Ukrainian Easter Bread (Paska), and Garlic Mushrooms in Sour Cream.

Holubtsi are usually the 5th course in the traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve Supper, preceded by Kutia (a sweet wheat berry pudding), Borsch (I have a family recipe of this, but it’s pretty meaty, and I need to work on it), Fish, and Varenyky (the Ukrainian version of pierogi).  

Cabbage was among the staple vegetables in old Ukraine and could be stored through the winter. Prepared carefully, cabbage can be a delicacy.

History

I grew up with grandma’s Holubsti. When she would visit, she would make large trays of it for us, and freeze it so we could enjoy it after she went home.

Though grandma spelled it Holobchi. I’ve also seen it spelled Holubchyky, Hólubci, Halupki, and Holubécʹ. In Polish, it’s called Golubtsy, Gołąbki, Golumpki, Goloobsti, or Golubtsi. And really, there’s minimal difference between Polish and Ukrainian cabbage rolls when you keep in mind regional and family variations.

There are many ways to make this authentic dish. The filling is usually rice, and meat. Though in this recipe we use mushrooms for the meaty texture and flavor.

It’s often cooked in a tomato sauce, but even this varies by region, family, and cook. Here I’ve used canned tomato sauce, but you could use stewed tomatoes, tomato juice (like V8), jarred spaghetti sauce marinara, or even ketchup. Grandma often used ketchup; I’m not sure if that was to entice me as a kid to eat it, or just using what was readily available.

What is Holubtsi made of?

It’s a classic stuffed leaf dish, similar to stuffed grape leaves like dolmas or lettuce leaves. Sometimes the dish is made with beet leaves. Cooks would make the Borsch and save the leaves to stuff.

This hearty recipe is made with cabbage leaves stuffed with a mix of seasoned rice, mushrooms, and onions, then baked in a tomato sauce until the rice is fully cooked.

These are low in fat, high in fiber, and so comforting. Tender and flavorful, these cabbage rolls can feed a crowd, and are typically served with sour cream.

How to make

I won’t lie, making Holubtsi is a lengthy process. But it’s one that reminds me of my grandma, and the results are a nice big pan of comfort food.

The full printable recipe ingredients and instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can find important tips and tricks in the post.

Mushrooms

Wash the dried mushrooms. Any variety of dried mushrooms will work here. I like to place them in a strainer and run them under cool tap water, rubbing off any dirt that you may find with your hands.

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the mushrooms and simmer for 1 hour.

Strain mushroom stock (saving it to cook the rice in). Chop the mushrooms. Set aside.

Cabbage

You’ll want to get a large 3-pound head of green cabbage. Get one that’s firm and heavy for the size, with tightly packed leaves that are pretty and green.

First, you’ll start with cooking the cabbage. This is to soften the leaves and make them pliable and tender so you can roll them easily.

Remove and discard the hard core of the cabbage. Bring a large deep pot of water to a boil. Turn the heat to low, and simmer, cored side up, covered, removing the outer leaves as they wilt and become tender, about 15 minutes. Boiling the cabbage allows easy removal of leaves & softens them.

Pro tip: use a pair of kitchen tongs to easily pull away and remove the leaves as they are cooked.

Do not overcook.

Carefully remove the remaining cabbage head from water and allow the leaves and the cabbage to cool until they’re easy to handle. Use a paring knife to cut away thick center stems from each cooked leaf, without cutting all the way through the leaf.

Roughly chop any damaged and small leaves and place them at the bottom of a large casserole dish or Dutch oven that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.

Onions

Sauté chopped onions in 2 tablespoons oil, about 10 minutes or until onion is translucent and starting to brown.

Rice

Next, you’ll cook the rice in the mushroom broth you just made. Use any kind of rice you like. I use medium grain, because that’s our house favorite. Cooking times may vary slightly based on the kind of rice you use.

Party cook (until it’s about ½ done) rice in 3 cups reserved mushroom stock plus water (to make the full 3 cups), for about 7-10 minutes or until liquid is mostly absorbed.

Add the chopped mushrooms and half of the cooked onions to the rice. Add the salt and pepper to the rice and taste, it should taste over seasoned, add more salt and pepper as needed.

Form and bake the Holubtsi

Preheat oven to 350° F. Form Holubtsi and arrange in layers in the casserole dish.

To form: Depending on the size of the leaf, each roll may require more or less filling. The filling will be 1 tablespoon rice mixture for smaller cabbage leaves, and up to 1/3 cup rice mixture for larger cabbage leaves.

Place the cabbage leaf in your hand, or on a work surface so that it’s curved side up with the thicker stem end away from you.

Place the filling in the middle of the leaf. Fold sides toward the center. Starting at the thin outer edge of the leaf, roll up loosely until the filling is surrounded by the cabbage leaf

Place cabbage rolls, seam side down on top of chopped cabbage in the casserole dish. Cabbage rolls can be stacked on top of each other as well as placed next to each other. Continue with remaining cabbage and filling.

If you run out of cabbage leaves, the filling can be used to stuff other things like red peppers or onions. Likewise, if you run out of filling and have extra cabbage leaves, they can be chopped and added to the bottom of the casserole dish.

Add tomato sauce and ½ cup water, spreading it out over the rolls, so that you can just see it at the bottom of the rolls. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and top with remaining sautéed onions.

Bake, covered, at 350° F for 1 hour.

How to store and reheat

Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Holubtsi can be reheated in the casserole dish, microwaved until hot, or sauteed on the stove individually. To reheat on the stove, add the cabbage rolls plus 2 tablespoons of water to the pan, cover with a lid, and heat over medium-low for about 5 minutes.

Can I freeze them?

Yes, for longer storage, cabbage rolls freeze very well. Cook them according to the recipe directions, allow them to cool completely, and place in a freezer safe container. They will store up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to eat them, thaw them in the fridge overnight, and cook in the oven, the microwave, or the stove. You may need to add a little water to loosen.

Changes to the recipe

Authentic Holubtsi is mild in flavor, allowing the rice filling to shine. So this recipe is perfect for picky eaters. You can also jazz it up a bit with some changes.

Buckwheat kasha or buckwheat groats are also traditional and can be substituted for rice. For that matter, farro, brown rice, barley, or quinoa can be substituted as well, though you’ll want to check on the cooking times. I also think it would be delicious with lentils added to the filling.

Add in lots of fresh herbs or spices for variety. Try garlic, dill, parsley, red pepper flakes, rosemary, basil, bay leaves, or paprika. These can also be used as garnish.

Swap the tomato sauce for tomato juice (like V8), marinara, spaghetti sauce, canned tomatoes, or like I said earlier, even ketchup.

Serve it with any sauce of your choosing, like sour cream, Greek yogurt, Adjika a spicy horseradish sauce, or marinara sauce.

And, you know, if you were feeling lazy and didn’t want to roll each cabbage leaf, you could just chop it all up and place it in a casserole dish and bake it, unstuffed cabbage roll style.