Vegetarian Polish Stuffed Cabbage - Gołąbki

 

Polish stuffed cabbage is often made with a filling of beef and pork, but it is easily made into a delicious vegetarian dish by replacing the meat in your favorite recipe with sauteed mushrooms.

Ingredients for Vegetarian Polish Cabbage Rolls 

For vegetarian Polish cabbage rolls you will need:

• 1 head of cabbage
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 ½ lbs of your favorite mushrooms, rinsed and chopped
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 ½ cups cooked rice
• 1 cup tomato juice
• Sour cream to garnish (optional) 

How to Prepare the Cabbage Leaves to be Rolled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Remove the stem of the cabbage, and drop the cabbage in the pot of boiling water to loosen the leaves. As the leaves are able to be removed, take them from the pot and allow to cool. Gather approximately 18 cabbage leaves, then remove the rest of the cabbage from the pot. Remove the majority of the stems of each cabbage leaf, being careful not to cut completely through the leaves. Chop the rest of the cabbage, and place in the bottom of a large casserole dish.

How to Make the Vegetarian Filling

To begin the filling, place ½ cup of olive oil in a large pot. Heat the oil on the stove over medium heat. Add the onion, and saute until they are translucent. Add the mushrooms, butter, and salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms for about 8 minutes, or until the mushrooms have softened. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Stir the mushroom mixture into the rice.

How to Fill the Cabbage Rolls

Place the first cabbage leaf with the concave side up. Put a heaping ½ cup of the filling at the bottom of the leaf, then roll the leaf up to cover the filling. Fold each side of the cabbage in, encasing the filling. Flip the roll over to complete the first roll. Finish making rolls until the filling is used up. Place the cabbage rolls on top of the chopped cabbage in the casserole dish, and pour the tomato juice on top.

Baking the Cabbage Rolls

Cover the dish and bake in the oven for 1 hour, or until the cabbage is softened. Garnish the cabbage rolls with tomato juice from the bottom of the dish, sour cream, or mix sour cream with the tomato juice to drizzle on top. Cabbage rolls can be served warm or cold.