Hearty Dinner Dishes
As the weather gets colder, we start to crave comfort food. And comfort food for us means something hearty and filling, with a nice balance of protein, vegetables, and carbs. It could be a soup or a stew or just a dish that feels home-cooked and tastes absolutely delicious! We have plenty of classic Scandinavian hearty dinner recipes on our blog, including this recipe for Swedish meatballs and this one for a Danish split pea soup. We would highly recommend checking these out this autumn and winter, as there is something in our dinner recipes category for everyone!
Today’s Recipe
Obviously, today’s recipe is something that we view as comfort food, but there are plenty of people out there who are a bit hesitant about cabbage. However, like any vegetable, how good cabbage can taste depends on how it is cooked! In this recipe for kåldolmar, or Swedish cabbage rolls, we stuff pre-boiled cabbage leaves with a mixture of meat, rice, onion, egg, and various seasonings. We add some stock to a baking dish along with the cabbage rolls, ensuring that they develop an even better flavor when they cook. They turn out super juicy and savory – I’m even getting hungry as I write this! Anyway, there are so many regional variations of cabbage rolls, so you can really add any extra seasonings or flavors that you like. We like to serve them just with some potatoes on the side for a well-rounded dinner, but you can also make a gravy or sauce to pour on top for something extra.
How to Make Kåldolmar
The process of making these cabbage rolls is seriously easy. We use Savoy cabbage because we find it a bit sturdier and less likely to rip than regular green cabbage, but you can really use whatever cabbage you can find. Start by cooking your rice until all the water has been absorbed (only for 5-10 minutes). Then, boil the cabbage leaves for 3-5 minutes or until they are pliable but not soft. Mix together the filling ingredients, and then you can start assembling the rolls. Just fold them up like you are making a burrito or a spring roll – tuck in the ends and then roll it up. Place them into a baking dish seam side down, add some stock, and bake. Enjoy these – you will make them over and over again, we promise!
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Kåldolmar (Swedish Cabbage Rolls)
Ingredients
- 1 head savoy cabbage (12-16 leaves; you can also use green cabbage!)
- 450 g (1 lb) meatloaf mix or 50/50 ground beef and ground pork mixture
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1/4 cup white rice (uncooked)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 egg
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Dash of allspice
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- Splash of milk (optional)
- 1/2 cup beef stock or water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
- Add water to a large pot on the stove (about 2/3 full) and turn it on high.
- Rinse the rice and add to a small pot on the stove along with 1/2 cup of water. Let this come to a boil, then turn the stove to low, cover, and leave it for around 5-10 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. Set aside.
- Prepare the cabbage leaves by removing whole leaves from the head of the cabbage and rinsing them. We use 12-16 leaves of cabbage for this recipe, depending on the size of the cabbage!
- When the water in the large pot is boiling, add the separated cabbage leaves and boil for 3-5 minutes, just so that the leaves are pliable.
- Transfer the leaves to a paper towel lined baking sheet to drain. We tend to boil the leaves in two batches so it's easier to handle. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
- Mix the meat filling by adding the ground meat, diced onion, salt, pepper, allspice, thyme, parsley, egg, and the cooked rice. You can also add a splash of milk at this stage to make it easier to mix together, but this is optional!
- Fill the cabbage leaves by placing a few tablespoons of meat mixture in the center of the leaf. We roll these up on a plate and place the base of the leaf at the top of a plate (see photo!)
- Fold in the sides of the leaf over the meat filling.
- Fold down the base of the leaf (which is at the top of the plate) over the sides.
- Roll towards the bottom of the plate to seal the cabbage roll.
- Place the roll into an oven safe dish (if you have one with a lid, even better!) with the seam side of the leaf facing down. Our dish is about 9"x13". Repeat with all the cabbage leaves until you run out of filling or leaves.
- Once you have rolled all of the leaves, add 1/2 cup of beef stock over the rolls (if you don't have stock, you can use water!). Cover (either with a lid or with foil) and bake for about 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Serve with a side of potatoes (in whatever form you like!) and add a dollop of sour cream! You can also serve with gravy or lingonberry jam for a more traditional meal.
