Recipe: Burrito-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (2024)

FAQs

Why are my stuffed cabbage rolls tough? ›

If your cooked cabbage is tough, it's likely because the cabbage is not cooked through yet. Continue to cook the rolls until they're tender. It's also important to make sure you let the rolls rest after they're finished baking.

Cabbage rolls are a dish where tender cabbage leaves are wrapped around meat and rice filling, then baked in tomato sauce. Cabbage rolls are a staple in many Eastern European cuisines and recipes vary greatly.

Recipes vary depending on region; northern Poles prefer a savory sauce, while Galicia, Hungary and Ukraine favor sweet-and-sour, for example.

If you want to make stuffed cabbage leaves, you don't have to cook the leaves to make them pliable. It's a lot easier just to freeze the cabbage—an added benefit is it doesn't stink up your house.

Like its relatives, cabbage is high in anti-cancer and detoxifying sulfur-containing compounds. It is also very high in vitamins K and C and a good source of beta-carotene.

Description. Ukrainian meat stuffed cabbage rolls. Made with sweet green cabbage, beef, pork, carrots, onions, tomatoes, rice, fresh dill/ parsley, spices.

To make ahead: Cool cabbage rolls and refrigerate in airtight container for up to 3 days. Alternatively, freeze in airtight container for up to 1 month. Reheat from frozen.

In many parts of Eastern Europe, eating cabbage rolls for New Year's is considered very lucky. Laura Kelley, author of The Silk Road Gourmet (iUniverse, 2009), says: “My mother said that cabbage rolls were considered lucky because the leaves looked like paper money.

So at first, eating the outer leaves didn't sound too appetizing. But that's the thing about growing your own food; you put so much effort into your plants so it just kills you to let anything go to waste. So I decided to make cabbage rolls with the outer leaves. My goodness they were fabulous.

Why is my cabbage tough on my cabbage rolls? ›

If your cabbage rolls are too tough, it means that you have not cooked them long enough. My method to start with, letting the cabbage sit overnight, starts to get the cabbage nice and soft. But if they are still not soft enough after cooking, it means that you need to return them to the oven and cook for longer.

Savoy cabbage – this will give you pretty cabbage rolls and is easy to work with. It tends to be a little pricier and can be harder to find than the practical green cabbage. Napa cabbage – this is another easy-to-use cabbage due to the shape of its leaves.

Crisp it up: Shredded cabbage stays perky if it's soaked in cold water.

Too much flour, or not the right kind, could be to blame. Dough made only from flour with a high or even average amount of protein (like bread flour or all-purpose flour) can become tough from overmixing. Protein gives bread structure in the form of gluten—the more you mix and move the dough, the more gluten you get.

Unappetizing texture and flavor: Overcooking can cause cabbage to become mushy, slimy, and unappetizing. It can also cause the cabbage to lose its natural sweetness and become bitter.

Inconsistent Watering:

Winter staples like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower need a steady water supply to thrive and form a plump, compact head. Inconsistent watering can disrupt the development process and lead to loose or underwhelming heads. Cabbage, in particular, is sensitive to water fluctuations.