Halupki (Stuffed Cabbage)

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Description

Halupki, also known as stuffed cabbage on the Russian/Ukranian side of my family, is a dish made of rice, beef, and pork encased in cabbage drizzled with a thin, sweet tomato sauce. My grandma Eugenia is 98 and she taught me how to make this comfort food classic. Every family has their own twist on this traditional dish. I hope you enjoy these with mashed potatoes just as we always do in my family!

Ingredients

  • 1 head cabbage, cored
  • water to cover
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 ½ pounds ground pork
  • 1 ½ cups cooked white rice
  • ¼ cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup white vinegar
  • 2 ⅔ tablespoons white sugar

Instructions

  1. Place cabbage in a stockpot; pour over enough water to cover. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn cabbage every 2-3 minutes; transfer any leaves that separate from cabbage into a strainer to drain and cool. Continue to boil until all the leaves have cooked
  2. about 15 minutes. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of cabbage cooking water. Cut out the tough
  3. thick center ribs of any large cabbage leaves with a sharp knife.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  5. Mix ground beef
  6. ground pork
  7. cooked rice
  8. eggs
  9. onion
  10. fresh parsley
  11. garlic powder
  12. salt
  13. and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Lay 1 cabbage leaf on a flat surface; place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling at the base of a cabbage leaf. Overlap with the bottom of the leaf; fold in side edges and roll up. Repeat with remaining large cabbage leaves and filling.
  14. Cut any leftover cabbage leaves into pieces and place in the bottom of a roasting pan. Layer stuffed cabbage rolls on top.
  15. Combine tomato sauce
  16. reserved cabbage water
  17. white vinegar
  18. and white sugar in a bowl; pour mixture over cabbage rolls. Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil.
  19. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is cooked through and sauce has thickened
  20. about 2 1/2 hours. Baste stuffed cabbage rolls every hour.

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cook Time: 2 hrs 45 mins

Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins

Servings: 10

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