Just in case you’re not all cooked out yet, here’s yet another traditional holiday dish. Stuffed cabbage, also called cholopchkes, is a Simchat Torah classic.

Don’t be fooled by its reputation—stuffed cabbage is really not that hard to make.





Looking for the taste without all the work? Make my Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls or Cabbage Roll Soup instead. For a healthier version, try my Savory Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. ground beef
  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
  • 4 tbsp. water
  • 2 onions
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1 large (or 2 small) green cabbage

  • 2 15-oz. cans tomato sauce
  • 2 15-oz. cans jellied cranberry sauce
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp. salt
  • Water

Directions

  1. Place the cabbage in the freezer for at least 24 hours. Remove and allow to defrost fully. Gently remove the leaves, wash, and check for bugs. Freezing the cabbage will make the leaves soft and pliable.
  2. Sauté the onion in 2 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. salt. Mix it with the ground meat and rice. Mix the water into the meat and rice.
  3. Lay out each cabbage leaf. Place 2 tbsp. of meat at the base, and roll up according to the collage above. Wedge all cabbage rolls tightly into a pot.
  4. Pour 2 cans tomato sauce, 2 cans jellied cranberry sauce and 2 cans water over the cabbage rolls. Squeeze juice of 1 lemon and sprinkle 1 tbsp. salt over the pot.
  5. Cook on a low flame for 2–3 hours. Serve immediately, or cool, refrigerate and reheat later.