vegan cabbage rolls

Vegan Cabbage Rolls! My vegetarian take on traditional stuffed cabbage recipe made vegan! with impossible meat. Taste just like moms! Perfect easy weeknight comfort food for the whole family. No one will believe it’s meatless!

Absolute Best Vegan Cabbage Rolls!

(796 ml/28 oz) can diced tomatoes

(680 ml/24 oz) can tomato sauce (not tomato paste)

brown sugar, packed

water

red wine vinegar

garlic

onion powder

(340 g/12 oz each) impossible burger ground beef

medium- large yellow onion, diced

garlic, chopped

oil, I use grapeseed or olive oil

salt

fennel

black pepper

green cabbage

For tomato sauce: mix sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.

For ‘Meat’ filling: Fry onions in a skillet over medium heat with the oil and a pinch of salt and pepper for 5-7 minutes until browning and softening. Stir in garlic and cook for a minute. Remove to a plate too cool. In a medium bowl add vegan ground beef, cold cooked rice, onion and garlic mixture, fennel and 1 tsp salt and another pinch of black pepper. Mix well. I usually mix by hand. Set aside

Core and Cook cabbage: with a sharp knife cut around the stem of cabbage about 1 and 1/2 to 2 inches out from the stem and 3 inches or so down. Should resemble a cone when pulled out. 

Fill a large stock pot half way with water. Set to boil. When boiling add cabbage. After it’s been boiling for 3 minutes or so start pulling off leaves with tongs, 2 at a time. Once leaves are removed let boil for a couple of minutes then remove to a plate. Repeat process until you have 16-18 leaves.

To roll, assemble and bake: Preheat oven to 325° Spread 1 cup of sauce in casserole dish. Set it close by.

Lay each cabbage leaf on cutting board. Use a small knife to cut a V-shaped notch to remove the thick part of the cabbage rib.

Place 1/4 cup of filling in centre of leaf, shape the mixture into a log. Roll up burrito style (step by step photos in above post) 

Place seam side down in casserole dish as you go. Repeat with remaining filling and cabbage leaves. I like the rolls to fit quite snuggly in the dish.

Cover with remaining tomato sauce. Give dish a little shake to disperse sauce. Cover tightly with tin foil and bake for 2 hours and 45 minutes. Remove from oven let sit for 10 minutes or so before serving. Enjoy!

These are super tasty and will be great for our Easter dinner !

can't wait to make these cabbage rolls for st paddy's day! thanks for sharing Verna.

This recipe is exactly what I was looking for. Taste  exactly like my grandma's. Delicious. Thank you for sharing

This was amazing! It took me a while, since I kinda did one thing at a time, but it was SO worth it. I used a different kind of veggie meat*, white wine vinegar (I didn't have red wine vinegar in my pantry), added zucchini to the mushrooms, and added lentils and a bay leaf to the rice. I also didn't have any canned tomatoes so I peeled fresh ones, chopped them into 1-2in pieces, then cooked them for about 10 minutes with some garlic, then added the tomato paste and sugar and it worked great! It's one of the best things I've ever made!! Thank you so much for the detailed recipe. I can't wait to make this again! 

*With this particular kind of meat, the smell and taste is normally very strong, so I cooked it before adding it to the mix. This gave it an even deeper flavor!

Packed with umami flavor and nourishing ingredients, these Mushroom Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are a hearty main for all occasions. Make ahead for a stress free dinner! This recipe is vegetarian and vegan.*There is quite a bit of overlap in tasking when preparing this recipe. If needed, make rolls one day ahead. Cover the rolls in the casserole dish, and refrigerate. The next evening, make the sauce and bake as written.

Mushroom Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

oz (28 grams) Dried Porcini Mushrooms

C (50 grams) Long Grain Brown Rice

C (50 grams) French or Green Lentils

tsp Sea Salt (divided)

Bay Leaf

Tbs Olive Oil

lb (345 grams) Cremini Mushrooms (stems removed and sliced thick)

C (46 grams) Shallot (small chop)

C (40 grams) Bread Crumbs (Panko or toasted sourdough)

Tbs Tomato Paste (divided)

tsp Ground Black Pepper

Fist Full of Fresh Thyme (divided)

(14.5 ounces / 411 grams) Can Diced Tomatoes

Reserved Mushroom Soaking Liquid

Dry White Wine and/or Vegetable Broth (as needed)

Ground Black Pepper

Bring a large stock pot, large enough to hold a head of cabbage, of water to a boil. Add the whole head of cabbage and simmer for 9 minutes turning it over once 1/2 way through cooking since it will float. Remove the cabbage and set in a colander to cool. When cool enough to handle, gently remove the leaves attempting to keep them in tact as much as possible. To do this, use a pairing knife to cut around the base of the stem, releasing the cabbage leaves so you can gently pull them away from the head. You&#039;ll want to try and obtain at least 10, large in tact leaves for rolling. Set aside the torn leaves and/or other leaves which can be used to line the baking dish and/or eat for lunch the next day.The leaves closest to the core won&#039;t fully soften, so if more leaves are needed, you can place these individually in the pot of hot water to soften or store the remaining head in the fridge to be later used in a another recipe.

Prepare the Cabbage:

Rehydrate the Porcini: Place the porcini in a bowl. Scoop out 2 C (472g) of that very hot water the cabbage is cooking in and pour over the porcini mushroom. Cover the mushrooms with a lid and rehydrate 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the soaking liquid. Squeeze out as much soaking liquid from the mushrooms as possible. Rough chop the mushrooms and set aside.

Cook the Lentils and Rice: In a small sauce pot bring 1 1/2 C (454g) of water to a boil. Add 1/4 tsp salt, bay-leaf, lentils and rice. Turn heat to low, put a lid on the pot and cook for about 35-40 minutes, or until rice and lentils are tender. The lentils will cook faster than the rice, but this is okay for our application.

Cook the Mushrooms: In a nonstick saute pan add two Tbs of olive oil, heat until shimmering then add all the mushrooms. Give them a good stir then let them cook for about 2 minutes at a time before stirring again. We want to get a good sear on the mushrooms. Cook for about 13-14 minutes. Add the shallots about 3 minutes before the mushrooms are done.

Process the Mushrooms: In a food processor, add the mushroom mixture, bread crumbs, 1 tsp of tomato paste, 1/2 tsp salt and fresh thyme leaves from about 7 stems. Pulse about 4 times, scrape down bowl and pulse again a few more times so that mixture comes together but is not pasty.

Mix the Stuffing: When lentils and rice are done, scoop the mushroom mixture into the sauce pot the rice and lentils were cooked in. Add about 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper. Stir well to combine and taste for seasoning adjustment. Set aside.

For the Stuffing:

To the same pan you sautéed the mushrooms in, pour in the reserved mushroom broth. Simmer on medium for about 2 minutes. The broth will begin to cook down a bit. Stir in the remaining tomato paste until dissolved. Add 1/4 tsp of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir in the diced tomatoes and cook on low for about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

For the Tomato Sauce:

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly spray a large casserole dish with pan spray.

Line the dish with 3-4 cabbage leaves, or enough to cover the bottom and most of the sides. If the leaves hang over the edges, this is okay. To lay them flat you may need to cut a notch a the base of each stem.

For the remaining cabbage leaves, if the stem is tough and won&#039;t easily roll, cut a small notch out. Scoop about 1/4 C (40g) of the mushroom mixture and place it near the base of the cabbage leaf. Gently fold in the sides and start rolling, tucking in the sides as needed. Place in baking dish, seam side down, on top of the leaves. Repeat, adjusting the amount of filling as needed for smaller leaves, until all the filling is used. The rolls can be crowded, just not overlapping. If you run out of room, start another baking dish and line as with the first baking dish.

Pour the sauce over and around the top of the rolls. The sauce should come just up the sides of the rolls, not submerged. Drizzle white wine and/or veggie broth over the top as needed.

Give each roll a good few grinds of black pepper and a pinch of salt over the top. Lay 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme across the top.

Bake, uncovered for 40-50 minutes until the tops are a bit golden with some a little crispy. Remove from oven, discard crispy thyme leaves and let set for five minutes before serving. Sprinkle fresh thyme over the top before serving.

Store in lidded container in fridge for up to two days.

To Assemble:

These high protein vegan cabbage rolls are stuffed with a savory sweet tofu cashew filling then served with a flavorful sticky sauce.

Vegan Cabbage Rolls with Tofu Cashew Stuffing

Napa cabbage leaves

garlic, finely minced

scallions, finely sliced

bell pepper, finely diced

baby Bella mushrooms, finely diced

1, 16 oz block of super firm tofu, crumbled

cooked short grain brown rice or Jasmine rice

raw cashews, finely chopped

tamari soy sauce

tbsp rice wine vinegar

maple syrup

tsp Five Spice

hoisin sauce

cornstarch

tsp sesame seeds

Place a steam basket in a pot and fill the bottom of the pot with water and bring to a boil. Rinse the napa cabbage well then carefully remove the leaves away from the stem and place inside the steam basket. Cover and steam for about 4-5 minutes or until the leaves have softened (not soggy!).

Remove the leaves and run them under cold water. Place the cooled leaves on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry to remove as much excess water as possible.

In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the oil to warm through. Add in the scallions and garlic and sauté for about a minute until the scallions have softened.

Next, add in the bell pepper and mushrooms along with a pinch of salt and continue to sauté for 3-5 minutes until most of the liquid is reduced.

Add the crumbled tofu to the pan along with the cashews and rice then season with tamari, rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, the crumbled bouillon cube and Five Spice. Fold the ingredients until everything is well incorporated, adjust seasoning to taste, then set aside.

Place a cabbage leaf on a flat working surface and trim off the harder portion of the stem. Add 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons of filling to the end of the leaf. Roll the stem over the filling and continue to roll until you get to the wider part of the leaf. Tuck in both sides of the leaf towards the center and continue to roll until you get to the top of the leaf. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.

Clear off the pan with the tofu, place over medium heat and add the remaining portion of oil to the pan to warm through. Once hot, place the cabbage rolls in the pan and sear on both sides undisturbed for 2-3 minutes or until sear marks appear. Remove from heat and plate.

To make the sauce, combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until no lumps of cornstarch remain. Heat up a small saucepan over medium low heat and pour in the mixture. Stir the mixture frequently for 2-3 minutes until the sauce begins to reduce and thicken. Then remove from heat and use to serve with the cabbage rolls and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.

These Mexican-inspired vegan cabbage rolls are filled with brown rice, flavorful plant-based chorizo, and topped with Mexican cashew cheese and plenty of salsa. Absolutely delish!

Vegan Cabbage Rolls With Seitan Chorizo

Savoy cabbage leaves (can substitute green cabbage)

onion,

vegan chorizo (see Notes for homemade options)

Swiss chard

salt and pepper

rice

container of chunky salsa

cashews

Tbsp tapioca, arrowroot, or corn starch

yeast

lemon juice

½ tsp dried chipotle flakes

¼ tsp smoked paprika

garlic powder

cumin

tsp fine sea salt

cilantro

avocado

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash the cabbage leaves and fill a soup pot about 1/3 full with water. Bring water to a boil and submerge the cabbage leaves. Cook for about 2 minutes. Carefully remove with tongs and place the leaves on a tea towel to dry.

If the chorizo isn&#39;t already crumbled, pulse it in a food processor until ground, or finely chop by hand.

Preheat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the onion until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the chorizo plus a splash of water (to prevent sticking), and cook for 2 minutes. Add more water as necessary. Add the kale, a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until the kale is wilted. 

Stir in the cooked rice and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.

Spread salsa in the bottom of a baking dish (my 8x10" dish holds six rolls, but you can also use a 9x13" casserole dish; you'll have enough filling to make 7 or 8 rolls).&nbsp;

Place a cabbage leaf on your cutting board and fill the center with the chorizo mixture. Fold in the sides so that they overlap. Then, fold in the bottom and top. Place folded side down in the baking dish. Repeat until you've used up the filling or your baking dish is full. Spoon about half of the remaining salsa onto the cabbage rolls. Set aside.

Combine the cheese ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a small sauce pan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. This happens quickly, so don't walk away! As soon as it thickens, remove from heat and spoon cheese onto the cabbage rolls.

Make the cheese:

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cheese has browned slightly. Top with cilantro and avocado and enjoy!

Bake:

Bursting with flavour, my veganized Romanian sarmale are easy to make, and packed with goodness. Plus they'll keep for around 10 days in the 'fridge, and taste even better, the longer they're kept.

Veganized Romanian Sarmale (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

200 g short grain rice

sauerkraut (c.1 kg/2 lbs (note 1))

mushrooms

onion (roughly sliced)

garlic ( roughly chopped)

tsp sea salt

½ tsp ground white pepper

tbsp coriander

tsp Vegeta

parsley (chopped)

75 g soy mince ((or 250 grams/c.9 oz frozen veggie mince) (note 3))

carrot (grated)

bay leaves

thyme ((note 4))

tbsp dried summer savory ((note 5))

tbsp sweet paprika

tbsp smoked paprika

250 g passata

ml sunflower oil ((note 6))

vegetable broth ((note 7))

Rinse the rice well in several changes of cold water, then leave to soak for 15 mins while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Cut out the core of the sauerkraut, carefully separate the leaves, and rinse them under cold running water. Shake off the excess water.

Remove the central ribs from the leaves, and place them (and the core) into the bottom of a large Dutch oven or stockpot. 

Set the leaves aside, and prepare the filling.

Place the mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, coriander, and Vegeta into a food processor, and pulse for a few seconds, until you have a very coarse mash.

Empty into a large mixing bowl, and add the parsley, soya mince, and grated carrot.

Drain the rice, and add to the bowl. Mix everything together well.

Take one of the cabbage leaves, and depending on its size, add 1-2 tbsp of the filling, and roll up (see the images and video above). Place in the pan on top of the sauerkraut bits.

Repeat until all the leaves have been used up. (note 7)

Add the bay leaves, thyme, and savory (rosemary) to the pot, then mix together the rest of the gravy ingredients.

Pour the gravy over the sarmale, and bring to the boil. Once boiling, cover the pot, reduce the heat to its lowest setting, and leave to simmer for around three hours. (note 8)

Any leftovers can be kept in the 'fridge in an airtight container for up to 10 days... when they'll taste even more awesome than on the day they were made!

Hey Nico, 
Thanks so much for sharing this, I really really want to cook this recipe tomorrow, for my first Christmas spent away from Romania. I was wondering how many sarmale are in a serving? So it says 24 servings need 1kg of mushrooms and 150g soy mince, 400g of rice and 2 cabbage heads etc. Do 24 servings mean 24 sarmale or more? I'm aiming to cook around 80.... Thank you!!

Oh my word these look SO good and SO comforting. Perfect for this time of year. Thanks so much for entering this recipe into this month's round of Simple and in Season.

Hehe, they say that Sarma is the best on her third day ;) 
Ours never lived that long, I must say, my other half is always looking for some great vegan Sarma solutions and is doing really well with it, but we never actually wrote down exact measures so every time he makes it, it's something new but never as the last one ;) 

And yours looks great! Thanks for this one, it's going to be cooked as soon as we get our hands on some good cabage!

These look delicious!   I spent 5 weeks teaching in Romania when I was a student and I remember having some lovely cabbage rolls at the house of one of our students.   These look quite hearty and definitely a good warming recipe now that it's getting a bit cooler.  Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x

Be sure you have cooked lentils and grain on-hand before beginning this delicious but somewhat time-consuming recipe. I advise cooking them the day before. You can also mix the filling ingredients and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the rolls.

Vegan Cabbage Rolls

onion

baking soda

garlic (minced)

can diced fire-roasted tomatoes*

tomato paste

salt* (or to taste)

raisins

cabbage

lentils (from 1 1/4 cup dry)

cooked grain (bulgur wheat, kasha, brown rice, quinoa, etc.)

parsley

paprika (smoked

black pepper (or to taste)

allspice

Sauce: Heat a large non-stick pan and add the onions and a pinch of baking soda. Cook until the onion softens, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add all remaining sauce ingredients except the raisins, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook for at least 30 minutes as you prepare the cabbage leaves and filling.

Fill a large deep pan with enough water to cover a cabbage and bring it to a boil. Remove all torn or ragged outer leaves from the cabbage. Use a paring knife to cut at an angle around the core and remove as much of it as you can. Put the cabbage core-end up into the boiling water and cook until the leaves soften and begin to come free of the cabbage; you may use a fork or tongs to loosen leaves if they become stuck, but be careful not to tear them. Remove each leaf and repeat until you have 10-12 whole cabbage leaves. (I’ve also read that you can freeze the cabbage overnight and let it thaw the next day; the leaves will be softened the same as after boiling. I haven’t tried this, though.)

Place the leaves and the remaining cabbage head in a strainer and rinse under cold water. Finely shred the cabbage remaining on the head and add it to the sauce along with the raisins. Keep the sauce covered and continue to cook on very low.

In a medium bowl, mix the lentils and all remaining ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste. Dry each cabbage leaf gently and trim the thick rib near the stem end of each leaf.

Put a cabbage leaf on your work surface with the concave side up, like a cup, and the stem end toward you. Place about 1/3 cup of the lentil mixture near the stem end (a little more for large leaves, less for smaller ones) and mold it into an oblong shape. Fold the stem up over the filling and then fold each of the sides toward the middle. Roll the filling up the rest of the leaf. You should have a nice, tight package. Place it on a plate and repeat with remaining leaves. (If you have some filling left over, it makes a delicious salad.)

Spread about half of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Place each cabbage roll, seam-side down, on top of the sauce in a single layer. (It’s okay if it’s a snug fit.) Spread the remaining sauce over the rolls. Cover and cook on your lowest heat setting until the cabbage is tender, about 45-60 minutes, being careful not to burn the bottom.

To serve, place two cabbage rolls on a plate and cover with sauce.

Susan,  Is there any part (or all) of this that can be made the day before?

I made them last night and I'll be making them again! I loved the sauce, it had great flavour and definitely made the cabbage rolls.  As you mentioned, the flavors of the stuffing can be added upon.  I added Basil, oregano and hot sauce.  I found it alittle bland (I guess I didn't add enough) but with the sauce they were fantastic.  I'm going to try adding some of the sauce to the filling to see if it gives it a little more flavor. Great recipe. I give it a 10/10 even though I need to tweek it a bit.  Thanks.  BTW...love your commentary.

So delicious. Hearty. Thank you for this great recipe! Perfect meal to start the fall season!

These look great.  I'm curious - why put baking soda in the sauce?

I've never had this dish before, so I decided to try it .
Was delicious. Thank you!

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Top 6 vegan cabbage rolls recipes from across the web

The most viewed vegan cabbage rolls recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Absolute Best Vegan Cabbage Rolls!

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Vegan Cabbage Rolls

The most viewed vegan cabbage rolls recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine