Polish Stuffed Cabbage Recipe (Vegetarian Gołąbki)

This Polish stuffed cabbage recipe makes tender vegetarian gołąbki filled with mushrooms, lentils, and rice. The rolls bake in a simple tomato sauce until the cabbage is soft and the filling is hot.

Plan on 12 to 14 rolls from one large cabbage. Cook the lentils and rice before mixing the filling, then use 2 to 3 tablespoons per cabbage leaf.

What Is the Polish Name for Stuffed Cabbage?

The Polish stuffed cabbage name is gołąbki (singular: gołąbek). If you ask what stuffed cabbage in Polish is called, gołąbki is the word you will hear. The name is also commonly written as golabki when Polish diacritics are unavailable.

Polish cabbage-roll recipes vary by household and region. Some use meat, while others feature rice, buckwheat, mushrooms, or other grains. This vegetarian adaptation preserves the cabbage-roll shape and tomato-sauce baking method, replacing meat with savory mushrooms, protein-rich lentils, and cooked rice.

Polish Stuffed Cabbage Recipe: Measured Cabbage, Vegetarian Filling, Tomato Sauce & Yield

Yield: 12 to 14 stuffed cabbage rolls
Pan: 9×13-inch baking dish
Oven: 375°F
Total baking time: 60 to 75 minutes, plus a 10-minute rest

For the cabbage:

• 1 large green cabbage, about 3 pounds, with the core removed
• Water and 1 tablespoon salt for blanching

For the vegetarian filling:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or another cooking oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup cooked brown or green lentils, drained and cooled
• ¾ cup cooked short-grain rice, cooled
• ⅓ cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the tomato sauce:

• 2 cups crushed tomatoes or tomato passata
• ¾ cup vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon sugar, optional, if the tomatoes taste sharp
• ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Use fully cooked, cooled lentils and rice. The grains should be tender but not wet, or the filling can become loose inside the rolls.

Polish Cabbage Rolls Recipe: Separate, Soften, and Fill 2–3 Tbsp Each

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Place the cored cabbage into the pot, core-side down. Simmer for about 3 minutes, then use tongs to remove the outer leaves as they loosen. Return the cabbage to the water and continue peeling leaves every 1 to 2 minutes. Collect 12 to 14 large, flexible leaves.
2. Transfer the leaves to a colander or tray and let them cool enough to handle. If a leaf has a thick center rib, shave down the raised portion with a small knife. Do not cut through the leaf. Save small or torn leaves for lining the baking dish.
3. While the cabbage cools, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion for 4 to 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until their liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat and cool the mixture for several minutes.
4. Combine the mushroom mixture, lentils, rice, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, marjoram, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Stir until evenly mixed. The filling should hold together when pressed but still look moist. If it seems wet, add another tablespoon of breadcrumbs.
5. Place one softened cabbage leaf on your work surface with the curved side down. Put 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling near the lower edge, leaving space around the sides. Avoid overfilling; a packed roll can split as the rice expands and the cabbage softens.

The leaves are ready when they bend without cracking. If the inner leaves remain stiff, blanch them for another 1 to 2 minutes. Very large leaves can be cut in half along the thick rib to make smaller rolls.

Roll, Sauce, and Bake Gołąbki Until Tender: 9×13-Inch Pan at 375°F for 60–75 Minutes

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Whisk the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, tomato paste, sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. The sauce should be pourable; add another splash of broth if it is unusually thick.
2. Spread about ¾ cup of tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Add a few reserved cabbage scraps underneath if available. This protects the rolls from sticking and adds extra cabbage flavor.
3. Fold the lower edge of the leaf over the filling. Fold both sides toward the center, then roll the cabbage away from you into a compact parcel. Place each roll seam-side down in the dish. Arrange them snugly in one layer when possible; a second layer is acceptable if the dish is full.
4. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the rolls, covering the exposed cabbage as much as possible. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. The sealed pan traps steam, which is essential for tender cabbage.
5. Bake covered for 60 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the top edges have softened. The cabbage is done when a knife slides easily through the outer leaf and the centers are hot.
6. If the cabbage still resists the knife at 60 minutes, cover the dish again and bake for 10 to 15 additional minutes. Let the finished gołąbki rest for 10 minutes before serving so the filling firms slightly and the sauce settles.

Serve the rolls warm with plenty of tomato sauce from the pan. The finished filling should be savory and moist, with distinct lentils and grains rather than a loose or watery texture.