Delicious, vegan Cabbage Rolls with Rice, herbs, and carrots are the ultimate plant-based comfort food, simmering in a rich tomato sauce until every bite is tender and bursting with garden-fresh flavor.
How to Keep Your Cabbage Rolls Perfectly Sealed
To ensure your rolls don’t unravel while simmering, place them seam-side down in the pot, packing them tightly together so they support one another.
For extra insurance, place a heat-proof ceramic plate directly on top of the rolls inside the pot; this acts as a gentle weight that prevents them from bobbing and unfolding as the sauce bubbles.
What to Pair with Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls with Rice and Herbs
Teriyaki Sauce Sauteed Mushrooms
Whole mushrooms with artichoke bottom halves and turmeric
Procedure – Vegan Cabbage Rolls
Either food process vegetables, or chop them with a knife.
Rice-Vegetable Mixture
Sauté Rice for Stuffing for Vegan Cabbage Rolls
Give a 12-minute sauté, in oil:
Sauté onions, carrots, parsley leaves for 4 minutes; then add RICE, tomato paste and some boiling water. Keep sautéing for around another 10 minutes.
Parboiling and Detaching of Cabbage Leaves from Cabbage Head
Remove the center stem with a knife.
Place whole cabbage with the hole in it facing down in pot of boiling water.
Bring to a boil.
Detach leaves, one after the other with thongs.
Transfer detached leaf to a large bowl of cold (or ice cold) water, to prevent leaf from becoming soggy.
Place leaves on paper towels to absorb excess water.
Removal of Bumpy Part of Central Veins for Vegan Stuffed Cabbage
Place a leaf on cutting board or on palm of hand with bumpy side of veins facing upwards.
Cut down the vein, removing the bump. This enables the rolling up of the leaf. Otherwise, the vein is so hard, that the leaf will break.
Filling Cabbage Rolls
About an inch of the bottom waxy-veiny edge has been cut across/off, to remove insulation of the rice. I also removed about of an inch off of the right and left frilly loose sides of the leaf. In the image here, the right side still has the area that it probably be better to cut off. This extra leafy area just adds puffiness and more insulation. Insulation prolongs cook time. Removing this extra leaf area (including the waxy bottom edge), prevents the rice from becoming extra soft.
Flip leaf over. Cut frilly edges on left and right sides; or, leave them as is.
Place carrot mixture towards bottom. Roll up once.
Fold loose leaf flaps inwards and tuck under first roll-up. Roll up twice more, until there is no more leaf left to roll.
Set aside.
Preparing Vegetable Padding and Sauce in large Pot, in Which to Cook the Rolls
1 option: Fry onion and celery cubes.
Add carrots and any excess juice accumulated from food processing the onions.
Prepare tomato sauce.
Pour tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle celery leaves all over. Cover pot. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer.
Health Facts about Cabbage
Rich in vitamin C
Rich in fiber
Rich in Vitamin K
It may support digestion and heart health.
Check out delicious vegan stuffed red bell peppers.
Vegetarian cabbage rolls with rice and herbs
Vegan Cabbage Rolls with Rice and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- PARBOILING CABBAGE LEAVES
- 1 large whole cabbage
- boiling water
FILLING
- 1/4 cup olive oil (or other oil)
- 2 chopped large onions
- 3 coarsely grated large carrots
- 1 cup chopped parsley leaves
- 1 cup chopped scallions
- 1 cup Persian rice
- 1/3 X (28oz.) can crushed tomatoes (400g)
PADDING BENEATH CABBAGE ROLLS
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 chopped large onion
- 3 chopped celery stalks and leaves
- 1/3 X (28oz.) can crushed tomatoes
ADD TO POT WITH CABBAGE ROLLS
- 1 cup chopped parsley leaves
- coarsely chopped leaves from 1 celery stalk
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (more or less is optional)
Instructions
PARBOILING CABBAGE LEAVES
Boil water in large pot.
Place cabbage in water, with stem facing down,.
2 minutes after coming to a boil, start detaching outer cabbage leaves, one leaf after another, with rounded thongs. Place leaves on paper towels to absorb water.
FILLING
Fry (white) onions in oil on a high heat for 4 minutes.
Add the rest of the filling's ingredients, and sauté for 7 minutes.
Transfer and set aside pot contents in a large bowl.
VEGETABLE PADDING TO GO BENEATH CABBAGE ROLLS
Rinse and dry pot.
Sauté celery and onion in oil for a couple of minutes. Then, add 1/2 crushed tomatoes and simmer for another 3 minutes.
Turn off heat.
PREPARING CABBAGE ROLLS
Flip cabbage leaf/leaves over with bumpiness of veins facing upwards.
Cut off protruding part of 'waxy' vein on each leaf.
Then, horizontally cut off 1/2 inch (1 cent.) from bottom 'waxy' vein.
Place 1 tablespoon of filling towards the bottom to the cabbage leaf.
Roll up cabbage once, then fold sides in. Keep rolling up. (See highlighted "roll each leaf up" below.)
As you fill and roll each leaf up, place next to each other in pot.
Pour rest of crushed tomatoes on cabbage rolls.
Scatter on the rest of the parsley and celery leaves and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Pour boiling water into sides of pot.
Bring to a boil on large burner, then transfer to a small burner and lower heat.
Simmer around 50 minutes, depending on the degree of rice softness you wish it to be.
Notes
- You can coarsely grate carrots with a hand grater or a food processor.
- You can substitute crushed tomatoes for pureed tomatoes.