Golumpki or Gołąbki are Polish cabbage rolls stuffed with a mixture of beef, pork, rice, and seasoning.
This recipe serves 12 and costs about $11.32 to make or $0.95 per serving!
Do you ever feel like handwritten family recipes are a lost art? With technology these days, there is no need to write out your recipes when you can print one off quickly.
However, I have a few framed handwritten recipes from my grandmother hanging in my kitchen that I adore. The recipe cards have a few stains on them, which give me warm thoughts of seeing them cooking these recipes with all their love.
I am so grateful they took the time to write some of their recipes to benefit from them and carry on their traditional cooking.
Grandma’s Golumpki – Cabbage Rolls Recipe
This brings me to this recipe I am sharing with you today. I am passing on the tradition of Golumpki from my paternal Grandmother, who was 100% Polish. My dad says, “These are the best thing on the planet Earth!”
Thanks to my Aunt Nancie, who wrote this recipe down one day while watching my Grandma make it, future generations will enjoy my Grandma’s Golumpki recipe!
He remembers going nuts when his mom would make them. He and his brother would say, “Mmmmm Golumpki night,” when she would tell them what was for dinner.
She always served Mashed Potatoes with them. But he was even more excited to eat them the next night as they are always better the second day.
Throughout the world, some might call this stuffed cabbage. But in Poland, this dish is known as Golumpki. This recipe is packed full of fresh flavors and even more special with it being a family recipe.
I would love to hear what your favorite family recipe is in the comments below!
What does Golumpki mean?
It is the plural of Golabek, which derives from Golab, which means “pigeon.” It’s called pigeon because the cabbage rolls resemble the shape of a pigeon’s chest.
How do you pronounce Golumpki?
You pronounce it by saying guh-WOOMP-key.
Can you freeze Golumpki?
Yes, you can freeze them! After baking them, let them cool completely before putting them in an airtight Ziploc bag. Add a little tomato sauce to each bag and then freeze.
When you are ready to use them, place the frozen rolls and sauce in a saucepan and simmer until you have heated them all the way through.
How to make Golumpki:
This recipe has a lot of moving parts, but it’s broken down in simple steps by:
- First, boil the cabbage, let it cool, separate the leaves, and cut out the hard stem.
- Stir together the filling and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
- Then, make the Sauce and spread some on the bottom of the baking dishes.
- Next, stuff and roll the cabbage leaves.
- Cover the cabbage rolls with the remaining sauce. (At this point, you can cover them and place them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or bake them).
- Then, bake the cabbage rolls for 50-60 minutes.
- Finally, let the Golumpki cool for 10 minutes and then serve with chopped fresh dill (optional).
See the recipe card below for complete instructions and step-by-step photos!
What to serve with Cabbage Rolls:
More Polish Recipes that are Family-Favorites:
RECIPE VARIATIONS:
- The sauce recipe for this dish is my own. My grandma did something a little different, which is an excellent option if you’re short on time.
- Mix one 10.75-ounce can of Campbell’s condensed tomato soup and one 15-ounce can of Hunt’s tomato sauce. And that’s it, no cooking needed. Use this sauce in place of the sauce in the recipe below.
Cook’s Note:
- You can prepare these ahead of time by making the recipe right until baking the cabbage rolls. Cover the rolls and place them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Then, cook as directed in the recipe below.
- The Golumpki taste even better the second day!
- This recipe makes a ton! You can freeze cooked leftovers. Just place them in air-tight freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3-4 months.
- TO REHEAT: Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight. Then transfer the cabbage rolls to a baking dish, cover with foil, and heat in a 325-degree Fahrenheit oven until warmed through, about 20-30 minutes.
Cook’s Tools:
- Cutting board
- Paring knife
- Large pot
- Medium bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Medium pot
- Wire cooling racks
Ingredients and Cost
RECIPE COST: $11.32
PER SERVING COST: $0.95
NOTE: The recipe prices are used calculating name brand products from grocery store websites.
- 1 large green cabbage – $2.34
- 1 pound lean ground beef – $3.60
- ½ pound ground pork – $1.53
- 1 small yellow onion – $0.48
- 7 large garlic cloves – $0.35
- 1 lemon – $0.48
- 1 large egg – $0.10
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes – $1.64
- 2 cups cooked rice – $0.39
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil – $0.14
- ½ cup water – $0
- 1 teaspoon salt – $0.01
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper – $0.01
- Chopped fresh dill – $0.25
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Golumpki - Stuffed Polish Cabbage (Gołąbki)
Video
Equipment
- cutting board
- paring knife
- large pot
- Medium bowl
- wooden spoon
- Medium pot
- Wire baking racks
Ingredients
- 1 large green cabbage
GOLUMPKI FILLING:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ small yellow onion grated
- 4 large garlic cloves grated
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel from 1 lemon
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 cups cooked rice
TOMATO SAUCE:
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ small yellow onion grated
- 3 large garlic cloves grated
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
FOR SERVING:
- Chopped fresh dill optional
Instructions
BOIL CABBAGE:
- Remove the stalk from the bottom of the cabbage head.
- Place the cabbage in a large pot filled with 12 cups of water. Cover and place over high heat.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook until the cabbage leaves become bright green and pliable, about 3-5 minutes. The leaves should not be limp, they should hold their shape.
- Remove cabbage from water and place on a cutting board until it’s cool enough to handle.
MAKE FILLING:
- In a large bowl combine ground beef, pork, onion, garlic, grated lemon peel, egg, and rice. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.
MAKE TOMATO SAUCE:
- In a medium pot over medium heat add oil. Once simmering, stir in grated onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Then, add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Pour in crushed tomatoes, water, salt, and pepper and increase heat to high. Once bubbling, reduce heat to low and simmer tomatoes for 15 minutes.
PREPARE CABBAGE LEAVES:
- Once the cabbage has cooled, remove the leaves from the cabbage head.
- Using a paring knife, cut the thick stem or membrane from the back of each leaf. Be careful not to cut through the leaf.
PREP OVEN AND BAKING DISHES:
- Move oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- You will need a 9x13-inch baking dish and a smaller, 2-quart baking dish for this recipe. Spread ¾ cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch dish and ½ cup sauce in the bottom of the 2-quart baking dish.
STUFF & ROLL CABBAGE LEAVES:
- Place 2 tablespoons of filling on the bottom half of a cabbage leaf.
- Fold up the bottom part of the cabbage leaf.
- Then, fold in the sides.
- Next, roll forward until the cabbage leaf completely covers the filling. Repeat with remaining cabbage leaves and filling.
- Place the stuffed cabbage leaves into prepared pans in neat rows. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the cabbage rolls.
BAKE:
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.
- Place pans on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped fresh dill (optional) and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Clearly the real deal. Fun fact: my off-the-boat Hungarian grandma used to add a can of Campbell’s tomato soup to her stuffed cabbage and goulash recipes, too! She said it made the sauce “stick” to the food better, and added a hint of sweet.
Haha, I love tht your grandma uses Campbell’s tomato soup, too!
Yes, they are better the second day. I discovered the reason by accident. My wife made them from my Mother’s recipe. They were very good the first day. I asked her what she did different from my mom’s. Nothing she said.
The next time she made them I watched. My mm cooked the rice to perfection, but my wife cover cooked her rice, til it was sticky. Mystery solved!
Over the years my wife added sautéed onions and added them to the filling mixture along with the butter from the sautteed onions.
Better than Moms!
I love that you have handwritten recipes from your family.
When my Ma died (she taught me to cook through osmoses ) I got her recipe box. It was special to me because I got to look through and reminisce about family and what was served through the
generations. Some had been updated to typewritten but there was a lot of handwritten. I cherish th the most.
Since then I have asked for handwritten recipes from family members but they always send a link or an email. Not the same.
I also have recipes from my great grandma. The recipes are all in her hand writing. The book is old and the recipes are all ones she used to make. Priceless memories.
Oh the memories! I too had 100% Polish grandparents and learned how to make these at a young age. Your recipe is EXACTLY how we made them! 😀
Hello, I am making this recipe for a book club meeting tomorrow. There’s 10 ladies. Would you recommend that I double the recipe I was trying to figure out how many rolls this would make if I would have one or two for each person. There will be other food served. The book we read is called “the book of last names.”
You won’t need to double the recipe.
My family recipe comes from my Austrian/polish mother in law. We make more of a casserole. We make the filling and roll the cabbage, but slice up onions and green pepper and the rest of the cabbage and layer it on top of the rolls. Then use 2 cans of whole tomatoes instead of tomato soup. We don’t waste any vegetables. It’s so good! I’ll never go back to naked rolls ever again
Your recipe is the closest to authentic that I have seen. I switch mine up just a bit: I use a combination of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. I season it with kosher salt, pepper, sugar, cumin, oregano, garlic salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. I add two eggs to the hamburger/rice mix and use all the seasonings above minus the sugar. I add a bit of chopped cabbage to the baking dish and add a bit of sauce to it. For the cabbage leaves, I add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water to keep the leaves bright green! Once I stuff all the cabbage leaves I place them in the baking dish and add the tomato sauce on top. Cover it with tin foil and bake for 60 minutes.
Thank you for sharing this heartwarming recipe for Grandma’s Golumpki! I love how you’ve made it so easy to follow, and the tips for prepping ahead and freezing are super helpful. It’s a beautiful way to carry on family traditions, and I can’t wait to try it! Visit.
Thanks for posting this! I season the filling with salt and pepper and also add dried parsley flakes because that’s how my Polish Grandma taught me. I also omit the lemon zest, though I will try adding tonight and see what the family thinks. I have to say that this is remarkably close to the recipe I have used for 30 years. Because of the time involved I make 4 recipes and cook them in an oversized Turkey roaster. Just a suggestion what to do with the leftover cabbage core: make freezer slaw.
This recipe must be from awhile ago! 95 cents a serving! I used tomato soup and ketchup! Different spin but makes a nice sauce!
tastes very delicious! i had difficulty getting the cabbage to soften enough to roll. i baked it for the required time and the cabbage was extremely difficult to cut and eat and the whole thing would just fall apart i am not sure if that is normal? i like the flavor but would enjoy if its not as messy to eat. 🙂
If you want it faster, put a few leaves of cabbage to boiling water at a time, not the whole thing.
These were good but next time I make them I will add more spice to the meat mixture because it was pretty dull and double up on the sauce. Maybe even triple. Thank you for sharing.
Very good dish. Would make it again.
Tried these and they came out so good. The only thing I added was 1/4 cup brown sugar