Vegan cabbage rolls stuffed with a flavorful mixture of onions, lentils, brown rice, and Italian seasonings. This family-friendly meal is inexpensive, filling, and easy to make! Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free.
*This recipe was originally published on 9/29/15 but I updated it with better instructions on 7/27/19.
I was recently looking through a box of my German grandmother’s handwritten recipes and I came across a recipe for polish cabbage rolls (aka Golumpkis (pronounced goy-yump-kees)).
The recipe looked absolutely delicious except it was made with pork/beef and bacon fat. I knew I could put my own twist on them and make vegan cabbage rolls.
My version of vegan stuffed cabbage rolls features red cabbage leaves, lentils, onions, garlic, brown rice, and Ragu tomato sauce. It’s super flavorful and easy to make! I bet that your family will love this cabbage recipe as much as we do! I think my grandma would be very proud of my take on her recipe!
How to Make Vegan Cabbage Rolls – Step by Step Instructions
Step #1 – First, cook the rice and lentils (or use two 14 oz cans of cooked lentils to save time) in separate pots and then set them aside.
Step #2 – Next, slice 1/4-1/2 inch off the base of the stem and peel off any outer layers that look damaged. Then, use a fork and knife to stabilize and carefully cut out the cabbage stem. Follow method #3 of these instructions.
Step #3 – Then, in a large pot of boiling water, submerge the whole head of cabbage and let it cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the cabbage leaves should be pliable and easy to pull away from the head. Use a strainer ladle to remove the head of cabbage from the pot and place it on a plate. Use tongs (if it’s still hot) to remove 10-12 large leaves and then lay them out on a towel to dry.
Step #4 – In a large saute pan, cook the diced onions in olive oil or vegetable broth until translucent. Add garlic, tomato paste, and dry seasonings. Cook for 2 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Step #5 – Add the cooked lentils and rice to the pan with the onions and stir everything together. Let the mixture cook for 5 minutes.
Step #6 – Pour 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish and spread it around from corner to corner.
Step #7 – Lay one cabbage leaf flat on a cutting board and put 1/4 – 1/2 cup of the filling (depending on how large your cabbage leaves are) in the center of the cabbage leaf. Fold both sides of the leaf in and then fold the bottom up and roll it up until it’s sealed. Place the stuffed cabbage roll seam side down into the casserole dish.
Step #8 – Once the casserole dish is filled with cabbage rolls, pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the top of the rolls. Cover the casserole and bake it at 350 degrees for one hour.
Tip – Do your best to roll the cabbage rolls up pretty tight to keep the filling in. If the leaf tears or some filling falls out one side, it’s okay, don’t panic. Just tuck the ends in the best you can, and place them in the casserole dish. While the cabbage is baking, everything magically melds together!
What Side Dish Goes With Vegan Cabbage Rolls?
The filling for these rolls is rice and lentils so I usually serve a roasted vegetable dish on the side. I love a vibrant plate of food so the red cabbage rolls paired with bright green oven roasted asparagus, zucchini, or roasted brussel sprouts with garlic are two of my favorite options. If you’re not a fan of either of those vegetables then a big salad would be delish too.
How Do You Remove Cabbage Leaves Without Tearing?
You need to prep the cabbage head first by using a sharp knife to carefully cut out the stem. Then, boil the whole head of cabbage for 5 minutes or until the leaves start to easily peel off.
Use tongs to gently peel each cabbage leaf off and then lay the leaf on a dish towel to cool and dry. Leave the cabbage in the boiling water and repeat this step until you have 10-12 large cabbage leaves.
How Long Can You Keep Cooked Cabbage Rolls in the Fridge?
You can keep the leftover baked cabbage rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. If you don’t plan on using them within that time period then you can freeze the rest for a meal in the future.
If you want to switch up your leftovers, try chopping up the leftover rolls and adding some vegetable broth to turn it into unstuffed cabbage roll soup! Or you could just add the leftover cabbage to hearty cabbage and bean soup.
Can You Freeze Leftovers?
The best way to store leftover rolls is to put them into a glass snapware container and then freeze it.
How Do You Reheat Frozen Cabbage Rolls?
Take the container of frozen cabbage rolls out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw overnight. Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees, transfer the rolls to an oven-safe casserole dish, spoon extra tomato sauce over the rolls, and then bake it for 1 hour or until it’s hot all the way through.
Is This Recipe Keto-Friendly?
No, but you can easily swap a few ingredients to make this cabbage dish keto-friendly. First, swap out the brown rice for cauliflower rice. Second, don’t use a store-bought vegetarian tomato sauce because they usually have a lot of sugar. Make your own tomato sauce so you can control the amount of sugar (if any) that’s in it.
Notes & Substitutions
- You can use red or green cabbage for this recipe.
- When you try to remove the outer cabbage leaves from the head, they should easily peel right off. If the leaves start to tear and don’t peel right off, put the head of cabbage back in the boiling water for another minute or two. The outer leaves are the biggest and best for cabbage rolls so you don’t want to rip them if you can help it.
- Some rolls might be difficult to roll if the leaves were torn but just do the best you can to roll them and place them sealed side down in the casserole dish. While the rolls cook they will compress and stick together.
- To save time and have fewer dishes to wash, you can use two 14 oz cans of pre-cooked lentils.
- You could substitute quinoa for brown rice.
- You can make your own sauce or use your favorite store-bought tomato sauce.
- Cover the rolls while they’re baking or they will dry out.
- Store the leftover rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- You can make these cabbage rolls lower in carbs by substituting cauliflower rice for the brown rice.
- Chop up the leftover center of the cabbage (that was too small to use for cabbage rolls) and add it to your salad or use it to make hearty cabbage and bean soup.
More Vegan Lentil Recipes That You’ll Love!
Easy Lentil Meatballs and Spaghetti
49 Tasty Lentil Recipes for Lentil Lovers!
Secret Ingredient Lentil Sloppy Joes
The BEST Curried Lentils with Brown Rice
Vegan Cabbage Rolls
Equipment
- 9x13 Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 1 cup uncooked french lentils (Or 2 cans of rinsed and drained pre-cooked lentils)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (or 2-3 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp paprika
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste, I love this paste because it's in a jar, so no BPA!
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (more to taste)
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 large head red cabbage (or green cabbage)
- 26 oz jar organic Ragu tomato sauce (Or your favorite tomato sauce)
- 1 tbsp parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook the lentils and brown rice (separately) according to package directions, set aside until later.
- Next, slice 1/4-1/2 inch off the base of the stem and peel off any outer layers that look damaged. Then, use a fork and knife to stabilize and carefully cut out the cabbage stem. Follow method #3 of these instructions.
- In a large pot, boil the water and season it with salt. Add the whole cabbage head to the water and let it boil for 5 minutes or until the outer leaf starts to pull away from the head. Use tongs to carefully remove the outer leaves until you have 10-12 large leaves. Let them cool and dry on a dish towel.
- Sauté the onions in olive oil or vegetable broth in a large pan over medium heat until translucent. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and dry seasonings. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the cooked lentils and rice to the pan with the onions. Stir to combine and let the mixture cook for 4-5 minutes to let the flavors to meld.
- Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of a large casserole dish.
- Spoon 1/4-1/2 cup of filling into each cabbage leaf (depending on how big the leaf is). Fold the sides in, and then roll the bottom up. Place the cabbage roll seam side down in the casserole dish. You should be able to make about 12 cabbage rolls. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls.
- Cover the casserole dish with foil or parchment paper and bake for 1 hour. Garnish with parsley and serve with roasted vegetables or a big salad on the side.
Notes
- You can use green or brown lentils instead of french lentils.
- You can use red or green cabbage for this vegan cabbage roll recipe.
- When you try to remove the outer cabbage leaves from the head, they should easily peel right off. If the leaves start to tear and don't peel right off, put the head of cabbage back in the boiling water for another minute or two. The outer leaves are the biggest and best for cabbage rolls so you don't want to rip them if you can help it.
- Some rolls might be difficult to roll if the leaves were torn but just do the best you can to roll them and place them sealed side down in the casserole dish. While the cabbage rolls cook they will compress and stick together.
- To save time and have fewer dishes to wash, you can use two 14 oz cans of pre-cooked lentils.
- You can make your own or use your favorite store-bought tomato sauce.
- Cover the vegan cabbage rolls while they're baking or they will dry out.
- Store the leftover cabbage rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- You can make these cabbage rolls lower in carbs by substituting cauliflower rice for the brown rice.
- Chop up the leftover center of the cabbage (that was too small to use for cabbage rolls) and add it to your salad or use it to make hearty cabbage and bean soup.
