Lenten Cabbage Rolls with Vegetables

Welcome to a taste of true Eastern European comfort food! Today, we're making "Postnye Golubtsy," or Lenten Cabbage Rolls. This beloved dish features tender cabbage leaves wrapped around a savory filling of rice and sautéed vegetables, all gently simmered in a rich and aromatic tomato sauce. It's a naturally vegan recipe, traditionally enjoyed during periods of fasting, but its hearty and delicious nature makes it a perfect meal for any time of the year. Get ready to create a dish that's both nourishing and deeply satisfying!

Lenten vegetable golubtsy

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cooking: 1 hour

Quantity: 3 Servings

Per serving

Calories: 210 kcal

Proteins: 8 g

Fats: 1 g

Carbohydrates: 24 g

Ingredients for Lenten Cabbage Rolls with Vegetables

• 1 head of cabbage
• 1 cup rice
• 1-2 carrots
• 1 onion
• Salt, pepper, bay leaf
• Sunflower oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste or 0.5-1 cup tomato juice
• Fresh herbs (dill, parsley)

How to Make Lenten Cabbage Rolls with Vegetables

For the Cabbage Roll Filling

Let’s make the filling for our vegetable cabbage rolls. Pour water over the rice in a 1:2 ratio (1 cup of grain to 2 cups of water) and cook until almost done. If the rice is still slightly undercooked, that’s fine – it will finish cooking inside the cabbage rolls.

Peel and wash the onion and carrots. Finely chop the onion and sauté it in sunflower oil for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the grated carrot and continue to sauté with the onion. When the vegetables are soft and the sautéed mixture (known as zazharka in Eastern European cuisine) is a golden-orange color, turn off the heat.

Combine the cooked rice with half of the carrot and onion mixture, season with salt and pepper, and mix well. The filling is ready.

Sautéing the onion

Adding carrots to the onion

Mixing rice with sautéed onions and carrots

Preparing the Cabbage Leaves

Now, let’s prepare the cabbage leaves (it’s best to use a flat-shaped white cabbage for golubtsy (cabbage rolls), although a round one will also work if you can’t find one). There are two ways to soften them. The first, classic method is to boil the whole head of cabbage. Rinse the cabbage and remove the top couple of leaves. Then, make incisions around the core to make it easier to remove the leaves. Place the whole cabbage in a pot, fill it with water, add salt, and bring to a boil. Cook the cabbage at a boil for another 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook it, or the leaves will become too delicate and tear easily.

Boiling the whole head of cabbage

Next, carefully remove the cabbage from the pot (be cautious – it’s hot and heavy), rinse it with cold water, and place it on a plate to cool. After a few minutes, gently peel off the softened outer leaves – they should now come away from the head easily. When you reach the layers where the leaves are still crisp, place the head back into the pot of boiling water and cook for a little longer.

The second, more modern method is using a microwave. Since not everyone enjoys handling a whole head of boiling cabbage, home cooks have devised another way to prepare it. Place the entire head of cabbage in the microwave and cook for 6-10 minutes on the highest power setting. Then, you can rinse the cabbage with cold water (optional), separate the leaves, and microwave them for another 5 minutes.

The leaves also become soft this way, but the health benefits of this method are debatable – discussions about the effects of microwaves on food continue to this day. I personally prefer to boil the cabbage.

Boiled head of cabbage

Once the leaves are softened, trim off the thick, tough veins. Some cooks also tenderize the tough part of the leaf with a meat mallet.

Making the Cabbage Rolls

Now we can make the golubtsy! Place a cabbage leaf on a plate or cutting board, put some filling in the middle, and fold the bottom edge of the leaf up.

Then, fold the right and left sides of the cabbage leaf towards the center.

Wrapping the golubtsy

Finally, tuck in the remaining edge to form an ‘envelope’. Pack the cabbage rolls tightly in layers in a pot with a little water at the bottom. It’s enough for the water to cover the first layer of rolls, and you can stack two or three layers. The cabbage rolls will steam as they cook, becoming tender and soft.

Placing the golubtsy in a pot

Simmer the cabbage rolls, covered, over medium heat until the cabbage is tender. While they are gently simmering, let’s prepare a delicious sauce. Remember the other half of the carrot and onion mixture we set aside? Add tomato paste diluted with a little water (or tomato juice, or puréed tomatoes), season with salt, and simmer for another couple of minutes. You can also add any leftover filling to the sauce if you have extra.

Pouring sauce over the golubtsy and simmering

Pour the sauce over the almost-ready cabbage rolls, add a bay leaf for aroma, and finely chopped fresh herbs like parsley and dill (fresh or frozen will work). After 2-3 more minutes, your delicious Lenten cabbage rolls with vegetables are ready.

Lenten cabbage rolls with vegetables

Serve generously drizzled with the tomato sauce and garnished with fresh herbs.

Lenten cabbage rolls with vegetables

Enjoy your meal!