Easy Gołąbki Recipe

Gołąbki (already plural and pronounced ”go-woomp-kee”) are traditional meat-stuffed cabbage rolls enjoyed by many Polish families. And just like with their pierogi, every family has their own twist on a gołąbki recipe. We recently got together with one of our friends from a Lipinski family - out of Minnesota, eh! - to make his family’s recipe. We found these very light - and even better after a day in the fridge with the flavors melting together. Plus, we tested switching out Beyond Meat for the standard pork or beef in some of them. It was a success!

Recipe:

Gołąbki (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)                     
Lipinski-Bednarek Family Cookbook 

1 large head of cabbage             1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

1 lb. lean ground beef*                 1/2 cup partially cooked white rice

1/2 lb. ground pork or turkey*       1 egg

1 medium onion, finely chopped   3 tbsp. butter

1 large can stewed tomatoes     4oz baby bella sliced mushrooms

Salt and pepper 2 tbsp white vinegar

*Can substitute all meat with equivalent in Beyond Meat
 

Fill a pot with water, add 2 tbsp white vinegar and 1 tsp salt, and bring to a boil.
While waiting for water, gently peel the leaves off the head of cabbage. Place in a bowl. If they break, keep the pieces, as you may need them as “bandaids” for your golabki rolls. You may need to slice the cabbage heart further once you get towards the core.

Place cabbage in the boiling water for several minutes, until wilted. This may need to be done in batches. Remove wilted leaves, cool immediately in cold water, and pat dry. Cut out the heavy ribs of the larger leaves.

Follow instructions for cooking rice, but only cook halfway. It will continue cooking while in the oven.

Sauté onion in butter until transparent. Combine meat, egg, partially cooked rice, sautéed onions, and seasonings. Add a 2 tbsp roll of the meat mixture to the middle part of each cabbage leaf. Fold the top and bottom of the leaf over the meat mixture, then fold in outer sides and roll tightly - as if you were making a burrito! Place in a pan in side-by-side rows. Add pads of butter around pan. Heavy chop stewed tomatoes and mushrooms, mix together, and spread on top of the cabbage rolls. Also add liquid from stewed tomato can (substitute 1 cup hot water if you didn’t save liquid from can). Bake at 350* for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Serves 4-5.