Kohlrouladen (German cabbage rolls in gravy)
Soft white cabbage wrapped round a savoury meat filling, browned in the pot and braised until tender in a dark gravy scented with caraway, with boiled potatoes alongside. The way it comes to the table in German kitchens, and even better the next day.
- Time
- 110 min (45 prep + 65 cook)
- Servings
- 4
- Per serving
- 519 kcal
- Protein
- 37 g
Ingredients
Rolls
- 1 large white cabbage (2 1/4 lb used) cabbage, whole, the core cut out
Filling
- 1 small white roll kaiser roll, torn
- 1/4 cup 2% milk
- 10 oz ground beef (95% lean)
- 7 oz pork mince
- 1 large egg
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1 small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard, or medium-hot German mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Gravy
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp caraway seed
- 2 1/2 cups cabbage cooking water water
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
To serve
- 1 3/4 lb gold potatoes, peeled, halved
Steps
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water (1 tsp to 2 litres) to the boil and lower in the whole cabbage, core side up. As the outer leaves loosen, peel them off with tongs, a few at a time, and lay them on a towel; you want 8 large leaves and a few small ones for patching. Cut out the thick central ribs. Keep 2 1/2 cups of the water, and finely chop about 250 g of the remaining cabbage.
- Soak the torn roll in the milk for 10 minutes and mash it with a fork. Mix in the beef, pork, egg, grated onion, parsley, mustard, salt and pepper until evenly combined. Divide into 8 portions.
- Lay a portion on the stalk end of each leaf, overlapping two leaves where they are thin and patching any holes with small ones, fold in the sides and roll up tightly. Tie with kitchen string or fasten with a toothpick.
- Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat and brown the rolls well on all sides, seam side first, about 10 minutes in total; the brown spots colour the gravy. Lift them out.
- Add the chopped cabbage to the pot and fry for 5 minutes until it browns at the edges. Stir in the tomato paste and caraway for 1 minute, pour in the cabbage water and scrape up the browned bits. Return the rolls, bring to a simmer, cover and braise gently for 45 minutes, turning once, until the filling reaches 160°F in the centre.
- Meanwhile boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes, until tender, and drain. Lift out the rolls and remove the string. Bring the gravy to the boil, whisk in the cornstarch mixture and simmer for 1 minute, then taste for salt. Serve the rolls with the potatoes and plenty of gravy. They keep 4 days in the fridge, and the rolls in their gravy freeze for 3 months.
Good to know
The leaves keep tearing. What helps?
Give the head a little more time in the water and peel the leaves off as soon as they loosen. You can also freeze the whole cabbage overnight and thaw it: the leaves come away soft, with no boiling.
Can I use ordinary mixed mince?
Yes, Gemischtes Hack is the traditional choice and gives a softer filling, at about 66 instead of 70.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 74
- Protein
- (30%)
- 5 g
- Fat
- (27%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (44%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 115 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2077 kcal goes into the pot and 3222 g of ingredients comes out as about 2795 g of food: 74 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.