Sweet-And-Sour Stuffed Cabbage is a popular dish in the American Jewish cuisine. Today you will find a variety of stuffed cabbage recipes available. This sweet-and-sour version filled with ground meat originates from eastern Europe, specifically Poland and Russia, the birthplace of all four of my grandparents. It is a dish my mother made for us growing up, but one that, unfortunately had not made it into my recipe files.
This sweet-and-sour stuffed cabbage recipe which comes from The Jewish Holiday Kitchen by Joan Nathan captures the essence of the one my mother made many years ago. In her introduction to the recipe Ms. Nathan says, “Ada Baum Lipsitz, originally from Russia, experimented with her sweet-and-sour version for more than sixty years. Doctored up for American tastes, it is delicious!" And I have to agree, it truly is!
Sweet-And-Sour Stuffed Cabbage (serves 6-8)
Ingredients
1 large cabbage, frozen
2 pounds ground beef
½ tablespoon salt (I used kosher salt)
½ teaspoon pepper (I used freshly ground black pepper)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup ketchup
3 eggs
½ cup uncooked rice (I used 1 cup cooked brown rice)
1 medium onion, grated
Sauce
1-28oz can tomatoes
1-16oz can tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 large onions, sliced
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup ketchup
juice of 1 large lemon
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup raisins
Note: I added about a scant 1/8 teaspoon of sour salt to the sauce. That is something I remember my mother doing. If using, adjust taste by adding more sugar, if necessary.
1. Freeze the cabbage for 2 days. Defrost it the night before cooking. This ensures soft, tender leaves and saves the step of boiling the cabbage.
Note: Alternative method: Cut out the core from the cabbage, and parboil the whole cabbage in a large pot of simmering water for about 15 minutes. Remove carefully, and drain.
2. Combine the ground beef, salt, pepper, garlic powder, ketchup, eggs, rice, and grated onion; set aside.
3. In a saucepan, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt and pepper, onions, garlic powder, ketchup, lemon juice, brown sugar, and raisins. Bring to a boil and let it simmer until the cabbage rolls are ready to be cooked.
4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
5. Remove the core from the head of cabbage (if you haven’t already). Separate the leaves. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture on each leaf. Tuck the ends in and roll up. Place in a 6-quart casserole.
6. Pour the sauce over the cabbage. Bake, covered for 4 hours and then uncovered, for 1 hour. This is even more delicious the second day.
Note: Cut up the smaller, extra cabbage leaves and put in the pot before placing in the oven. You can place them in first before putting the cabbage rolls in, if you like. They will add texture to the sauce.
Note: If there is any meat mixture leftover I will make large meatballs out of it, bake them at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, and then serve them with the sauce. If your pot is large enough you could add them and cook them along with the cabbage rolls.
These are so delicious served over rice that often I will mix extra ground meat for an additional meal of these meatballs with that wonderful sweet-and-sour sauce!