Голубцы — Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling of seasoned ground meat and rice, braised slowly in a tangy
tomato-sour cream sauce. Голубцы are a labour of love, usually made in large batches, and they
improve over a day or two in the fridge. Weeknight comfort food at its most traditional.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (beef and pork, eggs, sour cream)

SERVINGS: 6 (about 18 rolls)
TIME: 2 hours 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
For the rolls:
- 1 large head of green cabbage
- 400 g ground beef
- 300 g ground pork
- 150 g long-grain white rice
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 egg
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried marjoram or thyme

For the sauce:
- 500 ml tomato passata or crushed tomatoes
- 500 ml chicken or beef broth
- 200 g sour cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt, pepper, and sugar to taste
- Fresh dill, for serving

METHOD:
1. Prepare the cabbage: core the head with a sharp knife. Bring a very large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Lower the whole cabbage in, core-side down. As outer leaves soften (3-4 minutes per leaf), peel them off with tongs. Continue until you have about 20 intact leaves. Trim the thick central rib of each leaf flat with a knife.
2. Rinse the rice and simmer in plenty of water for 6 minutes — it should be half-cooked. Drain and cool.
3. Sauté onion and carrots for the filling in a tablespoon of oil for 5 minutes until soft. Cool.
4. Combine ground meats, cooled rice, cooled onion-carrot mixture, egg, garlic, salt, pepper, and marjoram. Mix gently.
5. Place 2-3 tablespoons of filling on each cabbage leaf. Fold in the sides, then roll up from the thick end. Place seam-side down in a deep casserole or Dutch oven.
6. Make sauce: sauté diced onion in butter for 5 minutes. Stir in passata, broth, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Simmer 5 minutes.
7. Pour sauce over the rolls in the casserole — they should be nearly submerged. Cover and bake at 175C (350F) for 90 minutes, or simmer on the stovetop over very low heat for the same time.
8. Remove from oven. Carefully stir sour cream into the hot cooking liquid.
9. Serve with a spoonful of sauce and fresh dill.

NOTES:
- You can also freeze the whole cabbage head overnight, then thaw — this softens the leaves without boiling and saves time.
- Leftover голубцы are better than fresh. They keep for 4 days and freeze well.
- Ukrainian versions (голубці) often use buckwheat instead of rice — a very fine variation worth trying.
- For a smoky depth, some cooks add 100 g of diced smoked bacon or smoked paprika to the sauce.

NUTRITION (per 3 rolls, approximate):
Calories: 485 | Protein: 28 g | Carbohydrates: 32 g | Fat: 26 g | Fibre: 5 g