🇭🇺 Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

🇭🇺 Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Töltött Káposzta – Old-World Family Recipe

This is one of Hungary’s most beloved comfort dishes—tender cabbage leaves stuffed with seasoned meat and rice, slowly simmered in sauerkraut and paprika-rich sauce. It’s even better the next day ❤️

🥬 Ingredients

Cabbage & Filling

1 large head cabbage (or 1 jar pickled cabbage leaves)
1 lb (450 g) ground pork
½ lb (225 g) ground beef (optional but traditional)
½ cup uncooked rice
1 small onion, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

Sauce

3 tbsp lard or oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
2 cups sauerkraut, lightly rinsed
1–1½ cups tomato sauce
2 cups water or broth
1 bay leaf

To Finish

Sour cream, for serving

🍲 Instructions

Prepare cabbage leaves
- Core cabbage and boil whole in salted water until leaves soften.
- Peel off leaves carefully. Trim thick veins.
Make filling
- Mix pork, beef, rice, grated onion, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Roll
- Place filling on each leaf, fold sides in, roll tightly.
Start the sauce
- In a large pot, heat fat. Sauté chopped onion until soft.
- Remove from heat, stir in paprika (don’t burn it!).
- Add sauerkraut, tomato sauce, water/broth, and bay leaf.
Layer & cook
- Line bottom with some sauerkraut.
- Arrange cabbage rolls seam-side down.
- Cover with remaining sauerkraut and liquid.
Simmer
- Cover and simmer gently 1½–2 hours on low heat.
Serve
- Rest 10 minutes. Serve hot with lots of sour cream and fresh bread.