Looking for an amazing and nostalgic dinner idea that will please a crowd? Turkey & Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are perfect.
If you have leftover turkey, be sure to check out our other turkey recipes to use it up.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know our neighbor brought us over a huge cabbage earlier this summer. I’d never seen one with all the leaves attached, but it really made the whole Cabbage Patch Dolls thing make more sense.
The only time I’ve ever actually cooked cabbage was in Egg Roll In A Bowl, so I wasn’t exactly sure what else I could make with it. I let it sit on our counter overnight before my friend suggested Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.
Her recipe called for ground chicken, but I actually decided to tweak that and go with ground turkey. I also made a filling with rice and tomatoes because meat and cabbage just seemed kind of dull.
The night I made it was the night my parents came back after four weeks in New York. My recipe made eight stuffed cabbage rolls, so we had enough to share. I actually could have made more, because we had more cabbage leaves, but I ran out of room in my casserole pan.
I wasn’t actually sure how these would come out. I was pretty worried that the cabbage would be sour. I don’t know why that was my fear because cabbage isn’t sour on its own. But that’s what I expected.
Don’t worry. These are definitely not sour.
Turkey And Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
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Turkey And Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup rice, uncooked
- 1 large cabbage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 20 oz. ground turkey
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1/2 can tomato juice
How To Make Turkey And Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
Make a half-cup of rice in a rice cooker (a good rule of thumb is 1/2 cup of rice per cup of water).
Fill a large stock pot with water.
We use a stove top pressure cooker for this because it’s the perfect size to hold a cabbage, but you can use whatever you have that fits the head of cabbage.
Pull the leaves off the cabbage, then add the cabbage to the pot. (If you purchase a cabbage at the grocery store, you can skip this step.)
Bring the water to a boil.
Test the leaves of the cabbage with tongs, and when they become flexible, remove them and return the cabbage head to the water.
Continue this process until all the leaves are softened and removed.
This should only take above five minutes after the water has boiled.
Heat the olive oil in a pan, then add the diced onion and garlic. Cook them down until the onions begin to become translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add the canned tomatoes, including the liquid, the meat, salt, and pepper to the pan.
Cook until the meat is cooked completely, about 10 minutes.
Add the cooked rice to the pan and stir until combined.
Put a layer of cooked cabbage leaves on the bottom of a casserole pan.
Fill a cabbage leaf with the meat and rice mixture.
Fold in two of the edges, then roll it (in the opposite direction).
Put the filled leaf, seam side down, on top of the leaves in the casserole pan. Continue until you completely fill the casserole pan.
Pour the tomato juice on top of the cabbage rolls.
Bake, covered, for about 45 minutes until the cabbage rolls are soft.
Turkey And Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls: Frequently Asked Questions
Traditionally, stuffed cabbage is a Polish recipe.
In Polish, it is known as Golabki.
In English, Stuffed Cabbage is also known as Pigs In A Blanket. That’s not to be confused with the hotdog and biscuit appetizer also known as Pigs In A Blanket. Same name, two very different recipes.
Traditionally, stuffed cabbage is filled with meat, rice, onions, and garlic.
We make stuffed cabbage with ground turkey in this recipe, but you could use a ground pork, lamb, or beef instead. Use whatever you have on hand or whatever you’re in the mood for. As long as you use a ground meat, and not whole or chunks of meat, this recipe will work.
If you have any leftover stuffed cabbage, store the cabbage rolls in an airtight container in the fridge. They’ll last about three to four days in the fridge.
If you’re not going to eat them within the next few days after making them, you can freeze stuffed cabbage. Cook the stuffed cabbage rolls, let them cool, then wrap them in plastic, then in a freezer safe bag. They’ll stay for three to four months that way.
Stuffed cabbage is best heated on the stovetop in a Dutch oven. Put a layer of tomato juice down on the bottom of the Dutch oven, then layer the stuffed cabbage rolls on top.
Put them top on an warm until the stuffed cabbage rolls are completely warmed through, about 20 minutes. It may take longer depending on your oven.
We don’t recommend reheating turkey stuffed cabbage rolls in the microwave because they won’t heat evenly and the texture of the cabbage will be off.
What to serve with Turkey And Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls:
A nice crunchy bread or a simple salad are the best sides for Turkey And Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. Some of our favorite sides to serve with this are:
More Ground Turkey Recipes:
If you like ground turkey, and you’re looking for more ways to use it than just this recipe, we have a few other ground turkey recipes you might like:
Turkey And Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Looking for an amazing and nostalgic dinner idea that will please a crowd? Turkey & Rice Stuffed Cabbage is perfect.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rice, uncooked
- 1 large cabbage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 20 oz. ground turkey
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1/2 can tomato juice
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
- Make a half-cup of rice in a rice cooker.
- Fill a large stock pot with water. Add the cabbage to the pot. Bring the water to a boil.
- Test the leaves of the cabbage with tongs, and when they become flexible, remove them and return the cabbage head to the water. Continue this process until all the leaves are softened and removed. This should only take above five minutes after the water has boiled.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan, then add the diced onion and garlic. Cook them down until the onions begin to become translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Add the canned tomatoes, including the liquid, the meat, salt, and pepper to the pan. Cook until the meat is cooked completely, about 10 minutes.
- Add the cooked rice to the pan and stir until combined.
- Put a layer of cooked cabbage leaves on the bottom of a casserole pan.
- Fill a cabbage leaf with the meat and rice mixture. Fold in two of the edges, then roll it (in the opposite direction). Put the filled leaf, seam side down, on top of the leaves in the casserole pan. Continue until you completely fill the casserole pan.
- Pour the tomato juice on top of the cabbage rolls.
- Bake, covered, for about 45 minutes until the cabbage rolls are soft.
Nutrition Information
Yield
9Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 222Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 67mgSodium 209mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 17g
Would you make these Turkey And Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls? Let us know in the comments.