Employee Recipe: Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls

Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls (Holubtsi)

Ingredients

For the cabbage and filling

• 1 large head of cabbage
• ¾ pound ground pork or beef
• 1 cup carrots, grated
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• ⅓ cup Italian parsley or dill, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large egg
• 2 ounces tomato paste, or about one-third of a 6-ounce can
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon lemon or lime juice
• 1½ teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup rice of choice (Note: quick-cooking rice works well for this dish; long-cooking rice should be prepared for about one-half the cooking time noted on the package before including it.)

For the sauce

• 2 cups water
• 4 ounces tomato paste (you can use the rest of the 6-ounce can you used for the filling)
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon lemon or lime juice
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Toppings (optional)

Sour cream, plain yogurt or Greek yogurt or hard cheese, such as Parmesan

Instructions

1. Stem, core and rinse the cabbage, then prepare a large pot large filled with water. Bring to a boil.
2. Add the full cabbage to the pot and let sit for 5-10 minutes so the leaves pull easily. You’ll want to get 10-12 leaves. As leaves soften, remove them and let cool on a plate.
3. In a large bowl, mix ground meat, carrots, onion, parsley, garlic, egg, oil, tomato paste, salt, black pepper and paprika. Add rice and juice.
4. Once the cabbage leaves have cooled, slice off rigid parts of the leaves, usually the bottom part. You can remove the central spine from each leaf, too.
5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare and 9- by 13-inch baking pan for the rolls. Place trimmings from leaves on the bottom to insulate them and keep rolls from sticking.
6. Fill each trimmed leaf with 1-2 tablespoons of filling; roll the leaves tightly and place them, seam-side down, in the baking pan. You can layer them if needed.
7. Prepare the sauce by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook until combined, less than 5 minutes.
8. Cover the rolls with the sauce, then use foil to cover the baking dish. Put in the oven and bake for 1 hour.
9. Remove from oven and serve, using topping choices as you wish.

Nutrition Facts per Serving: