Pisni Holubts (Meatless Cabbage Rolls)
Submitted by TuffyLou
Ukrainian meatless cabbage rolls filled with rice, sauteed onions, and mushrooms, baked in tomato sauce. A traditional Lenten dish that freezes beautifully.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
3 hrsPisni holubtsí are Ukrainian meatless cabbage rolls traditionally made during Lent. Soft cabbage leaves get rolled around a filling of cooked rice, butter-sautéed onions, and mushroom mix, then baked low and slow in chopped tomatoes for 2 hours until everything is tender and the flavors have melded together.
The filling is deliberately simple. Rice, onions, and mushrooms seasoned with salt and pepper. No meat, no eggs, no heavy spices. The mushrooms provide the savory, umami backbone that meat would normally bring, and the long bake in tomato sauce gives the rice time to absorb all that flavor.
Don’t overstuff the rolls. The recipe warns about this for good reason: the rice continues to expand during the 2-hour bake. Overstuffed rolls split open and lose their shape. A large spoonful at the stem end, sides folded over, then rolled from bottom to top is the right approach.
Kitchen Tips
- Pry the cabbage leaves off as they soften in the boiling water. Don’t wait until the whole head is cooked or the outer leaves will be too fragile to roll.
- Pare down the thick rib on each leaf so it folds easily without cracking.
- Keep 2 to 3 inches of liquid at the bottom of the baking dish during the bake. Add tomato juice or water if it gets low.
- These freeze brilliantly before baking. Freeze individually on a sheet, then bag them for easy weeknight meals.
Variations
- Add sauerkraut between the layers for a tangier, more traditional Ukrainian flavor.
- Use brown rice for a nuttier, chewier filling.
- Serve with mushroom gravy spooned over the top as the recipe suggests.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the rice and water in a medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil, stir gently, cover and cook for about 20 minutes.
Cool in a large bowl.
Core the cabbage and place it in a large pot or Dutch oven half filled with water, cover, and bring to a boil.
Cook about 2 minutes.
As the outer leaves become translucent and soft, pry off and remove with a wooden spoon.
Continue until the head is about 5 inches in diameter, remove and save for Cabbage Filling.
Trim the leaves by paring of the thick part of the rib.
In a large skillet, sauté the chopped onions in melted butter until lightly cooked.
Add the onions and mushroom mix to the rice, stir gently but do NOT mash.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Line the bottom of a baking dish with the outer cabage leaves.
Place a large spoonful of the filling at the stem end of each leaf, fold over the sides and roll from the bottom to the top.
Do NOT overstuff or the results will look like hand granades.
The rice will expand when baked.
Without crowding, arrange in neat layers in the baking dish, covering the last layer with a few cabbage leaves.
Coarsely chop the tomatoes and pour over the rolls.
Add the bouillon cube or Maggi seasoning, cover, and bake in a preheated 325 Degree F oven for about 2 hours.
Add tomato juice or water as needed, there should be 2 to 3 inches of liquid at the bottom.
Baked rolls will keep hot for about 1 hour.
To freeze before baking, place the rolls on an oiled baking sheet and freeze until rigid, then store in heavy plastic bags.
Serve with mushroom gravy.
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