Gołąbki (Turkey & Rice Cabbage Rolls in Tomato Sauce)

Name: Gołąbki (Turkey & Rice Cabbage Rolls in Tomato Sauce)
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 1 head green cabbage (~2 lb); 1½ lb ground turkey; ⅔ cup rice; 1 onion, grated; 1 egg; 3 garlic cloves, grated; 2 cups chicken broth; 28 oz can crushed tomatoes; 2 tbsp butter; chopped parsley; ½ cup sour cream, to serve; 1½ lb baby potatoes, boiled, to serve; 1 tbsp dried marjoram; 1½ tsp salt; ½ tsp pepper; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp sugar

DinnerPolish105 minServes 5630 kcal38 g protein

Photo: Christo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Soft cabbage leaves wrapped around a juicy, marjoram-scented turkey and rice filling, simmered in broth and finished in a silky tomato sauce. Lighter than the classic pork, just as comforting.

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Ingredients

1 head green cabbage (~2 lb)
1½ lb ground turkey
⅔ cup rice
1 onion, grated
1 egg
3 garlic cloves, grated
2 cups chicken broth
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp butter
chopped parsley
½ cup sour cream, to serve
1½ lb baby potatoes, boiled, to serve

From your pantry: 1 tbsp dried marjoram, 1½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp sugar.

Instructions

Cook the rice in 1⅓ cups water until just tender, about 15 minutes, and let cool. Cut out the cabbage core, lower the head into a big pot of boiling salted water and simmer until the outer leaves loosen, 8 to 10 minutes. Peel off 10 to 12 leaves (return the head briefly if the inner ones resist) and shave the thick ribs flat.
Mix the turkey, rice, onion, egg, garlic, marjoram, 1 tsp salt, pepper and half the parsley with your hands until combined.
Put about ½ cup filling at the stem end of each leaf, fold in the sides and roll up snugly. Line a deep 12-inch pan or Dutch oven with a few torn leftover leaves and set the rolls in seam-side down.
Pour in the broth, bring to a simmer, cover and cook over medium-low for 30 minutes. Start the potatoes boiling while they cook.
Lift the rolls out. Boil the broth until reduced to about 1 cup, then stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, butter and ½ tsp salt and simmer 5 minutes. Return the rolls, spoon sauce over and simmer, covered, 10 minutes more, until 165°F in the center. Serve with potatoes, sour cream and parsley.

Tip: Classic gołąbki use ground pork or pork and beef; with turkey, don't skip the grated onion and egg, which keep the filling moist. Savoy cabbage leaves are even more pliable if you can find them.