Vegan Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in Rich Tomato Sauce
Tender cabbage leaves stuffed with a vegan mince and rice filling, then baked in a rich tomato and herb sauce until beautifully soft and full of flavour. A traditional dish, common to Hungarian and Polish cuisine, you can find versions of stuffed cabbage rolls across Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
I was inspired by these traditional recipes to make a vegan-friendly version that uses plant-based mince in replacement of the meat. It therefore makes the recipe straightforward and simple, whilst still tasting absolutely delicious.
What you need to make vegan stuffed cabbage rolls in rich tomato sauce
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vegan mince
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cooked rice
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onion
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unsweetened apple sauce
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non-dairy milk
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nutritional yeast
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smoked paprika
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Tabasco/chilli sauce
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vegan Worcestershire sauce
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garlic cloves
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chopped tomatoes
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tomato purée
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tomato ketchup
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water
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dried Italian herbs
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fresh parsley
Substitution and Ingredient Notes
Vegan mince: I love the Linda McCartney mince as you can get it frozen from every supermarket and it is usually very affordable! But you can also substitute this for TVP mince or your favourite version!
Nutritional yeast: You’ll notice this ingredient in many of my recipes as not only does it fortify a vegan meal with essential B12 which I try to include as a part of my diet, but it also adds so much nutty and savoury flavour to plant-based dishes. I’d recommend buying some if you interested in cooking more plant-based recipes to use across the board!
Cooked rice: I use the microwave packets for ease!
Non-dairy milk: Any works for this recipe, but try and use an unsweetened version.
Tabasco: You can use a good pinch of chilli flakes instead
Vegan worcester sauce: Marmite works great in replacement for this, or a splash of vinegar.
How to make Vegan Stuffed Cabbage in Rich Tomato Sauce
Start by preheating the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
Then we can prepare our cabbage rolls. Carefully remove 12–15 large leaves from the cabbage. If your cabbage is smaller, just remove as many as your cabbage has, and you can always freeze any of the extra filling for another day.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the leaves for approximately 3 minutes, until softened. Then drain and leave to cool slightly.
Using a small knife, cut a shallow V-shaped notch from the thick base of each leaf, removing about 7–8cm of the tough core to make rolling easier. Set these aside for later.
Next, add the onion and vegan mince to a pan to brown for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the pan and add into a large bowl.
Next, let’s make the rich tomato sauce: heat a little oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Then add the onion and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Grate in the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes, and tomato purée, followed by the ketchup, water, smoked paprika and Italian herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, until slightly thickened. Set aside for filling your cabbage rolls.
Meanwhile, combine all of the filling ingredients, including the cooked mince and onion, in a large bowl and mix well.
Divide the filling equally into each cabbage leaf, folding the sides in and roll up tightly, as you would a burrito. The amount of filling may depend on the size of cabbage you have.
Arrange the cabbage rolls seam-side down in a snug-fitting roasting dish. They should fit closely together to help them keep their shape during cooking.
Once the cabbage rolls are all nicely arranged in your roastingtin, stir through the fresh parsley into the tomato sauce, and spoon evenly over the cabbage rolls and cover the dish tightly with foil.
Finally, bake for 60 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender and the filling is heated through. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, crusty bread or a simple green salad.
Vegan Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in Rich Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 23 Large savoy cabbage leaves
- Salt
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 450 g vegan mince (I used Linda McCartney )
- 175 g cooked rice
- 1 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
- 50 ml non-dairy milk
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Tabasco (splash of)
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (or 1 tsp of Marmite)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Rice tomato sauce
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (grated)
- 400 g chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomatoe purée
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 200 ml water
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- Salt and pepper
- Handful fresh parsley (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan)/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
- Carefully remove 12–15 large leaves from the cabbage. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the leaves for approximately 3 minutes, until softened. Drain and leave to cool slightly.
- Using a small knife, cut a shallow V-shaped notch from the thick base of each leaf, removing about 7–8cm of the tough core to make rolling easier. Set aside for later.
- Add the onion and vegan mince to a pan to brown for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan into a large bowl.
- To make the sauce, heat a little oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes, and tomato purée, followed by the ketchup, water, smoked paprika and Italian herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, until slightly thickened. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, combine all of the filling ingredients, including the cooked mince and onion, in a large bowl and mix well.
- Divide the filling equally into each cabbage leaf, folding the sides in and roll up tightly, as you would a burrito.
- Arrange the cabbage rolls seam-side down in a snug-fitting roasting dish. They should fit closely together to help them keep their shape during cooking.
- Stir through the fresh parsley and spoon the tomato sauce evenly over the cabbage rolls and cover the dish tightly with foil.
- Bake for 60 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender and the filling is heated through.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, crusty bread or a simple green salad.
Notes
- If using frozen vegan mince, add the marmite to the rice and mix in well before you add the mince.
- If you are unable to get a large savoy, reduce the filling amounts accordingly.
Nutrition
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