Oma's Kohlrouladen - German Cabbage Rolls
Oma's cabbage rolls recipe is SO traditionally German. Stuffed with meat and served with a brown gravy, this is not just another cabbage roll! This is THE BEST!
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 medium to large head green (white) cabbage (about 3 pounds)
- 1 pound ground lean beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 large eggs
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Montreal steak spice (optional)
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- about 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil
- about 2 cups beef broth
- about 1 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- 1
Prepare cabbage head by removing the stalk. Cook head in a large pot of boiling, salted water for about 10 minutes to separate leaves. Remove leaves and set aside to cool.
- 2
Once the leaves have cooled, turn each leaf over so that the thick vein, or hard rib, is on top. Trim hard rib with a sharp small kitchen knife.
- 3
Pat leaves with a paper kitchen towel to remove any excess water.
- 4
Mix ground beef, ground pork, eggs, onion, breadcrumbs, salt, steak spice, and pepper together in a large bowl.
- 5
Place meat mixture, about 1 heaping tablespoon, on the bottom end of each cabbage leaf. Roll up tightly, tucking in sides. Fasten the stuffed cabbage rolls with a wooden toothpick or baker's twine.
- 6
In a large saucepan, heat butter and oil over high heat. In batches, carefully brown cabbage rolls on all sides.
- 7
When all have been browned, return all cabbage rolls to pan and add beef broth so that the liquid almost covers the rolls. Simmer gently for about 1 hour.
- 8
Carefully remove cabbage rolls onto a platter, removing the toothpicks. Keep rolls warm while you make the gravy or sauce.
- 9
Mix cornstarch with a bit of cold water. Add as much as needed to the liquid in the saucepan until it is the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
- 10
Serve cabbage rolls with potatoes (boiled or mashed) and a green or cucumber salad on the side. Pour sauce over cabbage rolls and potatoes.