Golabki (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

Ingredients

• 1 head cabbage , cored
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion , chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 0.5 pounds ground pork
• 1.5 cups cooked rice
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt , plus more to taste
• 0.25 teaspoons ground black pepper , plus more to taste
• 3 cans condensed tomato soup , 10.5 ounce
• 2 cans tomato juice , 12 fluid ounce
• 0.5 cups ketchup

Instructions

1. 1

   Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place cabbage head into the pot, cover, and cook until leaves are softened enough to remove from the head, about 3 minutes. Remove cabbage from the pot and let sit until leaves are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Remove 18 whole leaves from the cabbage head, cutting out any thick tough center ribs. Set whole leaves aside. Chop the remaining cabbage and spread it in the bottom of a casserole dish.

3. 3

   Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, about 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Combine beef, pork, cooked rice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add onion and mix until well combined.

5. 5

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

6. 6

   Place about 1/2 cup beef mixture onto a cabbage leaf. Roll the leaf around beef mixture, tucking in the sides to create an envelope around the meat. Repeat to make remaining cabbage rolls. Place cabbage rolls in a layer over chopped cabbage in the casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper.

7. 7

   Whisk condensed soup, tomato juice, and ketchup together in a bowl; pour over cabbage rolls and cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.

8. 8

   Bake in the preheated oven until cabbage is tender and meat is cooked through, about 1 hour. Uncover for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).