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    Cabbage Rolls

    Updated March 17, 2025 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    Stuffed with seasoned ground meat, then wrapped in cabbage leaves and baked to tender, juicy perfection, Natalie’s grandma’s cabbage roll recipe is as classic, simple and perfect as can be.

    Warm Polish cabbage rolls stuffed with ground beef, sausage and rice, baked to perfection, topped with ketchup & crisp bacon.

    Today we’re sharing a recipe that’s close to the heart. This stuffed cabbage roll recipe—called galumpkis in our family—comes straight from Natalie’s Polish grandma. Meaty and delicious, cabbage rolls took center stage on our family’s holiday table, especially on Easter Sunday alongside her equally delicious Pierogies! They’re so perfect that we’re sharing the recipe straight from Grandma’s recipe card — no upgrades, no modernizations, because you don’t mess with perfection. Hearty, tomato cabbage rolls stuffed with a mix of pork sausage and beef are pure Polish comfort food. Like all of the best comfort foods in the world, they’re not fancy and the ingredient list is as humble and familiar as the dish itself. For another meaty roll-up, try our Sausage Rolls.

    bacon, cabbage, ground beef and ground sausage, onions, white rice, ketchup and garlic laid out for homemade cabbage rolls
    ground beef and pork sausage browned with onion, white rice, tomato paste and ketchup in a Dutch oven
    ground beef and pork sausage browned with onion, white rice, tomato paste and ketchup mixed together in a Dutch oven

    Essential Cabbage Roll Ingredients

    • Cabbage: Regular old green cabbage is the best and most classic cabbage for cabbage rolls. It’ll give you the look you want! If you love cabbage (as we do) be sure to try our simple Cabbage Soup, too.
    • Meat: We use a combination of ground beef and pork sausage, but you could use all beef or all pork if that’s your preference.
    • White onion: A bit more assertive and sharp in flavor than yellow onions, we love their punchy flavor in this rich and simple dish.
    • Garlic: Another punchy flavor from a super humble, basic ingredient.
    • White rice: You’ll need cooked white rice for this recipe — you can whip it up pretty quickly by following our White Rice recipe, or you can use instant rice or leftover rice from a take out meal
    • Tomato paste: Tons of tomato flavor in one little can.
    • Ketchup: Ketchup is an underrated ingredient! Particularly if you buy a good brand, ketchup is a terrific “secret” ingredient. It’s loaded with spices, has a hint of sweetness and usually a good little zing to it, too. Major bang-for-buck!
    • Bacon: The bacon makes this dish! Rich, smoky, and beloved by all, the bacon is what keeps us coming back for more. 
    a head of boiled cabbage leaves in a strainer to prepare polish cabbage rolls
    a boiled cabbage leaf being filled with a ground beef, sausage and rice mixture
    a boiled cabbage leaf being filled and rolled with a ground beef, sausage and rice mixture
    a boiled cabbage leaf being filled and rolled with a ground beef, sausage and rice mixture

    How to Make Cabbage Rolls

    1. Boil the cabbage: Yep, boil it whole! You need the cabbage leaves to be nice and pliable so you can roll them. A big stock pot will be your best friend.
    2. Make the filling: Cook the beef and sausage with onions, garlic, rice and tomato paste.
    3. Prep the cabbage leaves by peeling them carefully off the head.
    4. Roll the meat into the cabbage leaves: Roll them up basically like a small burrito, nice and tight, and lay them in the baking dish.
    5. Top each roll with ketchup and bacon. (This is a job for your pastry brush, if you’ve got one. Otherwise the back of a spoon works.)
    6. Bake!
    Polish cabbage rolls stuffed with seasoned ground beef, sausage & rice and in a casserole dish
    Polish cabbage rolls stuffed with seasoned ground beef, sausage & rice and brushed with ketchup on top
    Polish cabbage rolls stuffed with ground beef, sausage & rice, topped with ketchup and bacon ready to be baked to perfection
    Warm Polish cabbage rolls stuffed with ground beef, sausage and rice, baked to perfection, topped with ketchup & crisp bacon.

    How To Store Leftovers

    We don’t recommend freezing cabbage rolls — these are best when eaten within a couple of days of making them. However, these can be prepped a day ahead! Just make them, cover the pan and refrigerate until ready to bake. It’s really easy to double this recipe if you’re feeding a big crowd or hoping to enjoy the leftovers for a few days. Cabbage rolls make great leftovers—their rich, savory, meaty goodness just intensifies as they sit. They taste best reheated on the stovetop, but the microwave will do if you’re in a hurry.  

    Warm Polish cabbage rolls stuffed with ground beef, sausage and rice, baked to perfection, topped with ketchup & crisp bacon.
    Warm Polish cabbage rolls stuffed with ground beef, sausage and rice, baked to perfection, topped with ketchup & crisp bacon.

    What To Serve With Cabbage Rolls

    Warm Polish cabbage rolls stuffed with ground beef, sausage and rice, baked to perfection, topped with ketchup & crisp bacon.

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    Cabbage Rolls Recipe

    Updated March 17, 2025

    By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  8
    • Prep Time:  20 min
    • Cook Time:  1 hr 15 min
    • Calories:  289
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    Ingredients

    • 1 large head savoy or green cabbage, cored
    • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
    • ½ pound mild pork sausage
    • ¼ cup finely minced white onion
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • 2 cups cooked white rice
    • 12 ounces tomato paste
    • 1 cup ketchup
    • 6 slices bacon

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position.

      bacon, cabbage, ground beef and ground sausage, onions, white rice, ketchup and garlic laid out for homemade cabbage rolls

    2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the head of cabbage and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the cabbage to a plate cored side down and let cool.  

      a head of boiled cabbage leaves in a strainer to prepare polish cabbage rolls

    3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the ground beef, sausage, and onions and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until meat is cooked through and onions are softened, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Remove the skillet from heat.  Stir in the rice and tomato paste until combined.

      ground beef and pork sausage browned with onion, white rice, tomato paste and ketchup in a Dutch oven

    4. Carefully peel the leaves away from the cooled cabbage and lay flat on a clean work surface. Add ½ cup filling to the center of each cabbage leaf. Fold the bottom half over the filling, then fold the sides over the filling and carefully roll the cabbage over. Place the cabbage rolls seam sides down in a 9x13-inch baking dish. You should have about 12 rolls.  

      a boiled cabbage leaf being filled and rolled with a ground beef, sausage and rice mixture

    5. Brush the tops of the cabbage rolls with the ketchup, then lay the bacon over top in a single layer. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, discard the foil, and bake for another 15 minutes, or until bacon is crisp.

      Polish cabbage rolls stuffed with ground beef, sausage & rice, topped with ketchup and bacon ready to be baked to perfection

    6. Serve family-style.

      Warm Polish cabbage rolls stuffed with ground beef, sausage and rice, baked to perfection, topped with ketchup & crisp bacon.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 289
    • Protein 19 g
    • Carbohydrates 31 g
    • Total Fat 13 g
    • Dietary Fiber 5 g
    • Cholesterol 49 mg
    • Sodium 512 mg
    • Total Sugars 9 g

    Cabbage Rolls

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Cathy

      Can rolls be frozen?

      Hi Cathy jo, We don’t recommend freezing cabbage rolls, and these are best when eaten within a couple of days of making them. We think they are best reheated on the stovetop, but the microwave will do in a hurry!

    • Sharon

      Can you prepare the cabbage rolls a day before cooking them?

      Sure that will work fine. Hope you enjoy Sharon!

    • Theresa

      What do you serve with them?

      A simple salad and roasted vegetable would be great!

    • JoJo

      This cabbage roll recipe sounds tasty and I want to try it soon. Quick question — when you say pork sausage, do you mean breakfast sausage…italian sausage…some other type of ground sausage…? I’m not very familiar with traditional Polish recipes and ingredients. Thanks so much!

      Yes, mild Italian sausage. You can also sub ground pork, which is more traditional than putting Italian sausage in the recipe. But we love it this way!

    • Andi

      Saw this recipe and had everything but the rice, so I used the cauliflower rice I had. This is absolutely delicious! Ill be making this regularly!

      Thanks Andi, glad you loved it!

    • jenn

      These were very delicious!

      Thanks Jenn!