Stuffed Cabbage with Sauerkraut

David Marks September 30, 2025

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When my mother made stuffed cabbage, it signaled a special event or a holiday. This feeling has stayed with me since, and—until this day— cooking this meal puts me in a celebratory mood. The bed of ingredients and the roll with the meat and rice plus the added seasonings make it just too moist and tasty. It is time-consuming to make but so delicious. I always make too much. I usually give some to neighbors or, better yet, freeze for a meal in the future. Over the years, I have embellished my mother’s original recipe with V8 juice and Heinz Chili Sauce. Of course, when I was a child, all of the ingredients were fresh and homemade. Now I use some canned items like tomato paste. However, when it comes to the sauerkraut, I always make and ferment it myself. You can also buy organic sauerkraut in health-food stores or grocery stores.

4

6h 4-6

Medium Gluten Free Meat

Contains: Egg

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Ingredients

Stuffed Cabbage with Sauerkraut

1 medium green cabbage, outer few leaves removed
1 large onion, half minced and half thinly sliced
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup dried white rice
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 and 1/2 cups chicken stock, such as Manischewitz
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh sauerkraut (not canned), slightly drained
1/4 cup Tuscanini Tomato Paste
28 ounces Tuscanini Crushed Tomatoes

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classic Jewish food David Marks groud beef sauerkraut stuffed cabbage traditional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (for a faster bake) or 200 degrees Fahrenheit (for a slower simmer).
Use a sharp knife to cut out the central hard core of the cabbage. In a large pot, bring six quarts water to a boil over high heat. Carefully drop the biggest outer leaves of the cabbage into the boiling water. Boil until the leaves are soft. After two minutes, remove the leaves to a large platter to cool.
Shred the remainder of the cabbage and set aside.
Sauté the minced onion until tender. In a large bowl, combine the sautéed onion, beef, rice, egg, 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, and pepper. Set aside.
In a second large bowl, toss the shredded cabbage, sliced onion, and sauerkraut.
In a third large bowl, whisk the tomato paste and the crushed tomatoes with the remaining two cups stock.
On the bottom of a six-quart casserole dish or Dutch oven, spread half of the sauerkraut mixture to make a bed for the cabbage rolls. Evenly spoon half of the tomato mixture over the sauerkraut mixture.
To stuff the cabbage, place a cabbage leaf in front of you with the stem end facing down and away from you. Place a scoop of the meat and rice mixture in the middle of the leaf. Fold the bottom (stem end) of the leaf down toward the top of the leaf, then fold the right side inward and over toward the left. Fold down the top of the leaf and push the left edge inside to create a pocket. You want the package to have some space in it for the rice to swell as it cooks. Place the roll seam side down into the prepared casserole dish or Dutch oven. Repeat until you have stuffed all the cabbage leaves and filled the dish with one layer of stuffed cabbage. Spread the remaining sauerkraut mixture and the remaining tomato mixture on top.
Bake until the sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Cover the baking dish with foil or place the lid on the Dutch oven and continue cooking for five hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or eight hours at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Notes:
I did not include any salt in the recipe. I generally let people salt their food, since many diets require low sodium and everyone’s taste is different. The result is better if you cook it at a lower temperature for longer to let the flavors simmer and combine. You can use a slow cooker, but I find the flavors taste best when cooked in the oven. I sometimes take a little of the beef mixture and fry and taste it to see if more garlic or salt is needed.

Description:
Recipe excerpted from “Honey Cake and Latkes: Recipes from the Old World by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Survivors.”

Photography by Ellen Silverman

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Stuffed Cabbage with Sauerkraut

David Marks

Whisk by Ami Magazine

Recipe Description:

When my mother made stuffed cabbage, it signaled a special event or a holiday. This feeling has stayed with me since, and—until this day— cooking this meal puts me in a celebratory mood. The bed of ingredients and the roll with the meat and rice plus the added seasonings make it just too moist and tasty. It is time-consuming to make but so delicious. I always make too much. I usually give some to neighbors or, better yet, freeze for a meal in the future. Over the years, I have embellished my mother’s original recipe with V8 juice and Heinz Chili Sauce. Of course, when I was a child, all of the ingredients were fresh and homemade. Now I use some canned items like tomato paste. However, when it comes to the sauerkraut, I always make and ferment it myself. You can also buy organic sauerkraut in health-food stores or grocery stores.

Ingredients

Stuffed Cabbage with Sauerkraut

1 medium green cabbage, outer few leaves removed
1 large onion, half minced and half thinly sliced
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup dried white rice
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 and 1/2 cups chicken stock, such as Manischewitz
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh sauerkraut (not canned), slightly drained
1/4 cup Tuscanini Tomato Paste
28 ounces Tuscanini Crushed Tomatoes

Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (for a faster bake) or 200 degrees Fahrenheit (for a slower simmer).
Use a sharp knife to cut out the central hard core of the cabbage. In a large pot, bring six quarts water to a boil over high heat. Carefully drop the biggest outer leaves of the cabbage into the boiling water. Boil until the leaves are soft. After two minutes, remove the leaves to a large platter to cool.
Shred the remainder of the cabbage and set aside.
Sauté the minced onion until tender. In a large bowl, combine the sautéed onion, beef, rice, egg, 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, and pepper. Set aside.
In a second large bowl, toss the shredded cabbage, sliced onion, and sauerkraut.
In a third large bowl, whisk the tomato paste and the crushed tomatoes with the remaining two cups stock.
On the bottom of a six-quart casserole dish or Dutch oven, spread half of the sauerkraut mixture to make a bed for the cabbage rolls. Evenly spoon half of the tomato mixture over the sauerkraut mixture.
To stuff the cabbage, place a cabbage leaf in front of you with the stem end facing down and away from you. Place a scoop of the meat and rice mixture in the middle of the leaf. Fold the bottom (stem end) of the leaf down toward the top of the leaf, then fold the right side inward and over toward the left. Fold down the top of the leaf and push the left edge inside to create a pocket. You want the package to have some space in it for the rice to swell as it cooks. Place the roll seam side down into the prepared casserole dish or Dutch oven. Repeat until you have stuffed all the cabbage leaves and filled the dish with one layer of stuffed cabbage. Spread the remaining sauerkraut mixture and the remaining tomato mixture on top.
Bake until the sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Cover the baking dish with foil or place the lid on the Dutch oven and continue cooking for five hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or eight hours at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2 - About