Old-world patience, one baking dish, and a filling that feeds six

Every food culture that ever had more garden than money worked this out: wrap seasoned mince and rice in cabbage leaves, braise them in tomato, and a modest amount of meat feeds the whole table. My grandmother's generation didn't call it stretching the budget — they called it dinner. So this is the slow, satisfying version. Twelve neat rolls, one 480g pack of grass-fed beef mince, and an hour and a half in a low oven doing all the work while you do none of it.

2 hrs 20 mins 6 servings Prep 40 minsCook 1 hr 40 minsMain CourseEastern European

Ingredients

  • 480g Your Farmer grass-fed beef mince
  • 1 large savoy or green cabbage
  • 100g medium-grain rice
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 large brown onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill (plus extra to serve)
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • 700g tomato passata (for the sauce)
  • 250ml beef stock (for the sauce)
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar (for the sauce)
  • 2 bay leaves (for the sauce)

Instructions

For the cabbage and rice

Bring a very large pot of salted water to the boil. Cut the core from the cabbage, lower it in whole and blanch for 3–4 minutes, peeling leaves off with tongs as they soften — you need 12 good ones. Shave down the thick central rib of each leaf so it rolls easily.

1 large cabbage

Par-cook the rice in the same water for 6 minutes, then drain well.

100g medium-grain rice

For the filling

Melt the butter in a small pan and cook the onion and garlic gently for 5–6 minutes until soft. Cool slightly.

1 tbsp butter1 onion2 cloves garlic

In a large bowl, mix the mince, par-cooked rice, onion mixture, egg, paprika and dill. Season generously with salt and pepper.

480g beef mince1 egg2 tsp sweet paprika2 tbsp dill

Place a heaped spoonful of filling at the stem end of each leaf, fold in the sides and roll up firmly. You should get about 12 rolls.

For the braise

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Stir together the passata, stock, sugar and bay leaves. Pour a third into a snug baking dish, nestle the rolls in seam-side down, and pour the rest over the top.

700g passata250ml beef stock1 tbsp brown sugar2 bay leaves

Cover tightly with a lid or foil and braise for 1.5 hours, until the leaves are completely tender and the filling is cooked through.

Rest the rolls in their sauce for 10 minutes, then serve two per person with plenty of sauce, extra dill and crusty bread or mash.

Appears in

Your Farmer CSA grass-fed beef share — vacuum-sealed steaks, roasts, mince and sausages, paddock-to-plate NSW & ACT delivery
CSA Grass Fed Beef Share
Sale price From $152.00Regular price $169.99
Grass-fed beef mince from Your Farmer — vacuum-sealed paddock-to-plate, NSW & ACT delivery
Grass-Fed Beef Mince (approx 480g)
Sale price $12.00Regular price $13.49

Lean Mince Loves a Long Braise

Grass-fed mince is naturally on the lean side, and there are two ways to treat that: fast and hot, or long and gentle with something to keep it company. Cabbage rolls are the second way, perfected over a few hundred years of Eastern European winters. The rice and egg hold moisture through the braise, the cabbage leaf bastes the filling as it softens, and the tomato sauce keeps everything under gentle steam. Ninety minutes later the filling is tender right through and the leaves cut with a fork. The seasoning matters more than usual here, because the rice dilutes it — be generous with the salt, and let the sweet paprika and dill do the talking. The touch of brown sugar in the sauce isn't for sweetness so much as balance; passata cooked this long wants it. It's the same principle behind our stuffed capsicums — the vegetable doing double duty as vessel and side dish.

Your Farmer® mince is whole-animal trim from grass-fed cattle, and the 480g pack lands in every grass-fed beef CSA share — which makes this one of the most economical ways going to put a slow-cooked dinner in front of six people.

Swaps and Variations

  • Lamb rolls: lamb mince is glorious here — a little richer, and very traditional. It's a staple of our pasture-raised lamb share too.
  • Slow cooker: stack the rolls in the cooker, pour the sauce over and give them 5–6 hours on low.
  • The sour note: a layer of rinsed sauerkraut under the rolls adds the tang some family traditions swear by.
  • Herb swap: no dill? Flat-leaf parsley with a pinch of caraway gets you to the same part of the world.

Storage and Leftovers

Like most braises, these are better on day two, after a night sitting in their sauce. They keep four days in the fridge and freeze well for three months — always freeze them in the sauce so they reheat without drying out. Warm them gently, covered, on the stove or at 160°C in the oven. And the best leftover trick of all: chop two rolls back into their sauce with a cup of stock and you've got an unstuffed cabbage-roll soup for tomorrow's lunch.

Frequently asked questions

Which cabbage is best for cabbage rolls?

Savoy is the easiest — its crinkled leaves are flexible and peel away without tearing. Regular green cabbage works well too; just blanch it a minute or two longer.

Can I skip par-cooking the rice?

It's not worth the risk. Par-cooking guarantees the rice finishes properly inside the rolls. Raw rice needs a longer braise and more liquid, and results vary from pot to pot.

How do I stop the rolls unravelling?

Three things: shave the thick rib flat so the leaf rolls tight, pack them seam-side down, and keep them snug in the dish so they hold each other closed.

Can I make them in a slow cooker?

Yes. Stack the rolls in the cooker, pour the sauce over and cook on low for 5–6 hours.

Do cabbage rolls freeze well?

Beautifully. Freeze them in their sauce for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating gently.

0 commentson Beef Mince Cabbage Rolls in Tomato Sauce

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