If you’re experienced in the kitchen, your first thought might be the same as mine – blanch it.
In order for your cabbage leaves to be pliable enough to wrap into rolls, you’ll need to cook the cabbage first. How do you boil cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls?
Here’s how to core green, Savoy, or flat cabbage. Plus, allowing the steam to penetrate into that cut end while it cooks will help loosen the leaves. However, green, Savoy, and flat cabbage all have compact leaves so you will want to core the cabbage (remove the stem) but leave the head in one piece.Ĭore cabbage before cooking it because this helps the leaves fall off the head easily. You won’t need to core Napa cabbage as you can simply remove the leaves from the head. This is the cabbage I prefer using since the leaves have a larger flat area but a natural curve to the edges. That being said, it can also be a little harder to find and you need to make sure you get a nice big head because the leaves can get narrow, which doesn’t work well for stuffing.įlat Cabbage/Chinese Flat Cabbage – this cabbage looks very similar to green cabbage except it’s usually a bigger head and looks like it’s been slightly flattened. Napa cabbage – this is another easy-to-use cabbage due to the shape of its leaves. It tends to be a little pricier and can be harder to find than the practical green cabbage. Savoy cabbage – this will give you pretty cabbage rolls and is easy to work with. The leaves of this cabbage tend to be a bit thicker and less flexible. It’s the most practical to use because it’s easy to find and usually is super cheap – especially in the autumn and winter months. Green cabbage – this is your standard head of cabbage. This is because the leaves get smaller the further into the cabbage you get and before you know it, they’re too small to use. The trick is making sure you buy a head of cabbage that’s a bit bigger than you really need.
There are several types of cabbage you can use. Or loaded mashed potatoes such as these Instant Pot Loaded Mashed Potato Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. And honestly, prepping the cabbage is the most finicky part of the job so once that’s done, you can stuff them with whatever your heart desires. Knowing how to prepare the cabbage leaves makes this job less frustrating. If you want to make cabbage rolls, aka stuffed cabbage, golumpki, halupki, or whatever you may have grown up referring to cabbage rolls as, you’ll want to know how to prepare the cabbage properly. You’ll be an expert in no time on choosing the right cabbage and preparing it. Today I’m sharing tips for how to prepare cabbage for cabbage rolls.