Authentic German Cabbage Rolls (Kohlrouladen)

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5 from 1 vote

Authentic German Cabbage Rolls (Kohlrouladen)

Stuffed cabbage rolls with ground beef. A traditional German dish.

Course Main Course

Cuisine German

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 15

Servings people

Calories 861kcal

Author Marita

Equipment

kitchen yarn

Ingredients

For the cabbage rolls

1 bread roll stale or dry (about 100 g or 3.5 oz) white bread is good or a stale baguette
500 gr ground beef can be replaced with ½ beef ½ pork mixture.
1 onion
2 eggs medium size
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon mustard I used dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
1 teaspoon majoram
1 cabbage head white, green or savoy cabbage
3 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the sauce

1 onion
2 carrots
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
800 ml beef stock
2 bay leafs
2 tablespoon corn starch (optional)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Slice the bread rolls into small pieces and soak them in warm water. Squeeze them out very well, to draw out the moisture. Otherwise, your filling might end up being too wet.
1 bread roll
Place the ground beef into a large bowl. Add the bread pulp, onion, egg, and seasonings. Knead the ingredients with your hands until combined.
500 gr ground beef, 1 onion, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder , 1 teaspoon majoram
Remove 8 large outer leaves from your cabbage head. The exact quantity depends on the size of your cabbage.
1 cabbage head
Heat a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Place the cabbage leaves in the water for approximately 2-3 minutes to soften. Then remove them from a pot and dry them on a kitchen towel. Do not blanch them for too long, as otherwise, the cabbage leaves will fall apart.
Remove the thick stem of the cabbage leaves. Divide the beef mixture into 8 equal portions. Lay a cabbage leaf flat and place one portion of the filling into the center of the leaf. Fold in the sides and roll the cabbage up. Secure the cabbage leaves with kitchen yarn, so they don't unwrap while cooking.
In a large pot, head up the oil and sear the cabbage rolls, seam side first, on high heat from all sides.
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
Remove the cabbage rolls and fry the onions and carrots, in the same pot on medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the brown sugar and cook until the onions and carrots caramelize. Add the tomato paste and fry for a minute before pouring in the beef broth/stock and adding the bay leaves.
1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 800 ml beef stock, 2 bay leafs, 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Place the cabbage rolls back into the saucepan and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for approximately 45 minutes on a low heat.
Remove the cabbage rolls and bay leafs from the pan. Bring the remaining liquid to a boil until it reduces to a brown gravy. You can thicken the sauce with cornstarch if desired. To do this first mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the cooking sauce. If the sauce is still not thick enough add a second. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2 tablespoon corn starch
Serve with boiled, mashed potato, spaetzle or bread dumplings.

Notes

If you prefer a smooth gravy, you can strain the liquid through a sieve and discard the onions and carrots. I tend to leave them in.

Nutrition