Kåldolmar (Swedish Cabbage Rolls)
These stuffed cabbage rolls are juicy, savory, and perfect for a hearty dinner! Serve alongside potatoes (prepared however you like them) and they will go down a treat.
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.