These Cabbage Rolls are filled with a savory wild rice and mushroom stuffing. They are a delicious vegan and gluten free dinner meal!
Here’s some trivia for ya…. I live with two Russian roommates.
These two beautiful, smart, and funny ladies are always inspiring me with their Russian culture and cuisine. They are incredibly considerate of others and I have adopted their tradition of not wearing shoes in the house – period, endofdiscussion.
And the food they talk about…it’s plov, shchi, and pelmeni. I mean, hello, those words even taste good as you say them. Even in our thick ‘mercian accents, and trust me they sound even better coming from someone who speaks the language.
As far as I can gather, Russia is all about their potatoes, cabbage, and sour cream when it comes to cooking. And we are all better for it. These Cabbage Rolls is lightly inspired by my roommates Russian roots and I think you will love it.
Traditional cabbage rolls, or Golubtsi, are usually filled with either pork or beef, rice and various spices. To make my version plant based, I used wild rice as the main ingredient. The rice gets mixed with sautéed mushrooms and onions, plus herbs and spices.
This mixture gets rolled in cabbage eaves, smothered in a rich and flavorful tomato sauce, and baked to perfection.
A true Russian would top this with a hearty spoonful sour cream (my roommate has been known to go through a carton a week), but if thats nyet your jam, I skipped the cultured white stuff as well. These Cabbage Rolls are perfectly delicious on their own.
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:
Print
PinDescription
These Cabbage Rolls with Wild Rice Mushroom Stuffing are filled with an herbaceous mushroom and wild rice mixture and then smothered in a flavorful tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice mix
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil OR olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz . mushrooms, finely chopped
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large head savoy cabbage, leaves carefully removed
For the sauce:
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the package directions.
- While the rice cooks, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium. Add in the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add in the garlic, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, thyme, basil, pepper, and salt. Sautee until the mushrooms are cooked, bout 7-10 minutes. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan add in all of the sauce ingredients. Over medium heat, bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Add the cabbage leaves to a large bowl. Fill the bowl with boiling water and cover the bowl with a plate, lid, or even a cookie tray. Let sit for 10 minutes so the cabbage softens and becomes easier to roll.
- While the cabbage sits, coat the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish with a thin layer of the sauce. Combine the mushroom mixture, 1/2 cup sauce, and cooked rice.
- Grab a cabbage leaf, shaking off the excess water and add 2-4 tablespoons of the filling mixture (more for larger leaves, less for smaller) to one end of the cabbage leaf. Roll the leaf up like a burrito, tucking in the sides. Line up filled and rolled leaves in the baking dish. Continue rolling and adding to the baking dish until all the leaves are filled. Cover with the remaining sauce and bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until the rolls are warmed through. Serve.
Notes
To make rolling the leaves even easier, you can shave off some of the ribs, like I do in this recipe here.
Keywords: gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, tomato, tomato sauce, sauce, onion, garlic, herb, thyme, basil, paprika, dinner, entree, Winter, Fall
Hi! Looks great. But I have a ton of white (long-grain basmati) rice around the house. Do you think that could be used instead of the wild rice?
Hi Hayley, That should work! Since it’s white rice, it might break down a little more than a whole grain rice, but the soup should still be delicious!
I must say that the advertising is very disconcerting as too much, covers recipes and makes it not easy to read and or concentrate. The recipes are good but I don’t like the interference to read it.
Hi Sue, I totally agree! I have been working with my ad company to get some of these ads taken down. Which ads were the most interfering? I would love your feedback so I can create a better experience!
Can I pre make this and freeze it??
Hi Maria, Yes! I haven’t tried it myself, but I have heard from readers that this does work. A couple of tips: I would let the baking dish come room temp before baking to ensure it doesn’t crack. You may also find that you need to bake the dish for a bit longer – I would check it at the 50 minute mark and then increase time as needed. If the leaves start to brown, you can cover it with some aluminum foil and keep cooking until warmed through :) Let me know if you have any questions!
Can this be made earlier in the day, kept in fridge, and then warmed in the oven before serving? Will the cabbage leaves brown?
Hi Bridget, it absolutely can! To prevent the cabbage leaves from browning, make sure to cover them well with the tomato sauce. You can also cover with foil when reheating. Happy cooking!