How To Make Cabbage Rolls

The finished product waiting for sauce

This is how to make very large cabbage rolls from an entire head of cabbage. If smaller rolls are desired then just layer two leaves and place much less filling inside before folding it up. Always pick the best leaves to start with and use the less desirable ones on the inside layers.

Many different types of filling can be placed inside the cabbage, the particular recipe pictured here will be up tomorrow.

This step gets repeated a lot

Bring about seven cups of water to a rolling boil and drop in the cabbage. You will need a three-pound cabbage to start. Try to pick a cabbage that does not have any cuts in the top and or brown in the leaves. Let it cook for about 10 minutes turning it in the water every once in a while but let the base boil the most.

Use a spoon to help keep from burning your fingers

Remove the cabbage from the water but leave it boiling. On a towel gently remove all the leaves that are soft and loose. Dry off the leaves and create different piles of perfect leaves and torn or messed up ones. Once the leaves start getting firm place the cabbage back in the water and boil again. Repeat these steps until all the leaves have been separated from the core.

Time to make the rolls

Take 2 good leaves that are roughly the same size and overlap them by about an inch with the stems facing away from you.

Add another leaf

Place a third leaf in the center with the rib running horizontal. This leaf can be damaged or torn just try to place it back together as best as possible.

Recipe for the filling and sauce tomorrow. I am such a tease

Place about 3/4 of a cup of filling in the center. Reduce the amount of filling if smaller rolls are desired. Also do not add the third leaf from the previous step.

So snuggly

Place another leaf over the filling with the rib facing away. This leaf can also be damaged like the third just try and form it back together as best as possible.

Getting close

Fold the sides up tightly against the filling. Then roll from the bottom to the top placing the seam on the bottom. Make sure to roll as tightly as possible without ripping the leaves. The ribs will fold fairly easily if the cabbage was boiled long enough. If the leaves are giving you trouble drop them into boiling water for a few minutes to get them pliable.

All done

Continue to roll up the remaining filling placing the finished rolls in a large baking dish. The rolls can be cooked with many different sauces which depend on the filling. They can also just be baked with half a cup of water in the pan and a pat of butter on top of each one. However you choose to cook them, bake at 340 degrees until the tops are golden brown and the filling is cooked through, about 1 1/2 hours.