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Two cabbage rolls on a plate with sauerkraut and tomato sauce
Ashley Leonard

Sarmas (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

5 from 5 votes
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, also known as Sarmas, are a comfort food I grew up eating on the Iron Range of Minnesota. Cabbage leaves are stuffed with a seasoned mixture of beef, pork & rice and baked in a tomato sauce for a hearty & filling meal.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Croatian

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large head of cabbage or 2 medium
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • ½ pound ground pork
  • ½ cup onion chopped
  • 1 cup cooked white rice
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • ¼ tsp. garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
  • 1 # sauerkraut about 2 cups
  • 15 oz. can tomato sauce

Equipment

  • Stockpot
  • Baking Dish

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Cut core end off cabbage and place in boiling water. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cabbage from water and allow to cool.
    1 large head of cabbage
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine meats along with the rest of the ingredients besides sauerkraut & tomato sauce.
    1 pound ground beef, ½ pound ground pork, ½ cup onion, 1 cup cooked white rice, 1 egg, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. black pepper, ¼ tsp. garlic powder, ¼ tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
  4. When cabbage is cool enough to handle, separate 12 leaves from the head. Make a V-shaped cut on the bottom of the leaf to remove the thick rib of the leaf.
  5. Place ⅓ cup of filling in the center of each cabbage leaf. Roll the leaf like a burrito, bringing the sides in first then rolling it up to seal. Repeat with remaining 11 rolls.
  6. Place ½ cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish along with 1 cup of sauerkraut. Place the cabbage rolls in the baking dish and cover with remaining sauerkraut and tomato sauce.
    1 # sauerkraut, 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  7. Cover with foil and bake 75-90 minutes until cabbage is tender and meat is fully cooked.

Notes

Serve Stuffed Cabbage Rolls on their own or alongside mashed potatoes for a hearty meal.
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls freeze well!
I leave the pot of water boiling while picking the cabbage leaves. As you get further into the head, the leaves may not have gotten as tender. If this happens, I place the head back in the boiling water to soften the inner leaves. 
 

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