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My vegan and gluten-free version of the traditional Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage recipe.
Tender sour cabbage leaves wrapped around a hearty, ‘meaty’, savoury, seasoned filling, then it’s all cooked in a lovely paprika-sauerkraut soup and topped with a big dollop of cashew sour cream – I’m telling you guys, Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage is the true comfort food! The mixture of mushroom, tempeh, chestnut, rice and walnut makes an incredible satiating meat substitute, so trust me, you could fool any meat-lover with this one.
Though it’s not a 15-minute recipe, it definitely worth to make it, especially because it keeps for about a week in the fridge, so you can eat this deliciousness for many days in a row. In fact they even say that Stuffed Cabbage is best on the next day after warmed up – not like a marriage.
The key to a good Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage is good ingredients. Seriously. I guess you can say it to any recipe, but here I find that it’s especially important to use good quality spices (paprika!) and if you find, sour cabbage leaves. You will most likely find whole sour cabbage leaves in Turkish, Polish or Russian shops and markets. But if you can’t find any near you, you can also use fresh cabbage leaves. It’s not going to be as flavourful and intense as with the sour cabbage leaves, but will be still lovely.
Once you prepare the filling and start to roll your cabbage leaves, you should make sure that the rolls are really tight and they are well sealed. You don’t want your rolls to open while cooking. You can help to avoid it also by placing the rolls very tight next to each other in the pot of course.
That’s it. Not that difficult and not as complicated as it sounds…..believe me. I hope you’ll make these rolls and will love them!
If you try this recipe, let me know! I would highly appreciate if you could leave a comment and rate it. Also don’t forget to take a picture and tag it on Instagram (use the hashtag #greenevi) or post it on Facebook! I love seeing what you come up with! ♥︎
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Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Mushroom and Tempeh
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 mins
- Yield: 10-12 rolls 1x
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1/2 cup of rice (I used a mixture of brown and wild rice)
- 1 cup of crumbled tempeh
- 1 cup of chopped mushroom
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup cooked chestnuts (optional)
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp marjoram
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke (or use more smoked paprika)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp mustard
- dash of hot sauce (optional)
- salt, pepper
For the rolls
- 5–6 whole sour cabbage leaves*
- 2 cups of sauerkraut
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- salt, pepper
For the cashew sour cream:
- 1 cup of cashews, preferably soaked
- 1 lemon, juice
- salt
Instructions
- Start by cooking rice according to package instructions. Drain and let cool a bit.
- Meanwhile add tempeh, mushrooms, walnuts, chestnuts if using, and roughly chopped onion and garlic to a food processor and pulse until they make a coarse mixture.
- Transfer to a large nonstick pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes. Add in rice and the rest of the filling ingredients and mix well. Let cool a bit so you can handle it.
- Meanwhile lay a cabbage leaf out on a work surface. Remove the stem and cut in half. If your leaves are small, then use a whole leaf for a roll. Place a handful of the filling on the base of cabbage leaf, then roll up, tucking in sides. Repeat with the rest of the leaves and filling.
- Chop sauerkraut and leftover cabbage leaves into small pieces and place half of them on a bottom of a large pot. Place rolls, seam side down on the sauerkraut. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper, and place the rest of sauerkraut over rolls. Add 2-3 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for about 50 minutes or until tender.
- For the sour cream add cashews, lemon juice, salt and about 1/2 cup of water to a blender and blend until creamy.
- Serve the warm cabbage rolls with sour cream on top. Enjoy!
Notes
*You can usually find whole sour cabbage leaves in Turkish, Polish or Russian shops/markets. If you can’t find any near you, you can also use fresh cabbage leaves. Steam the whole head of cabbage until cabbage is soft and leaves are pliable enough to separate and to roll.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Vegan
We do Romanian stuffed pickled cabbage!!! I think Russians also have them… Eastern European traditional food!
Thanks for a vegetarian alternative!
Oh, I’d love to try those versions too!
I’ve actually never tried the traditional Hungarian version, since I was never into meat, but in the last months I started to crave random Eastern European food so had to make it 😀
Let me know if you make the recipe, I’d love to hear your feedback 🙂
I’m quite familiar with these rolls – I often had them when I was a kid (That was a traditional combo of ground meat and rice). But I’ve never tried it with sour cabbage. That sounds good. And I do like the addition of walnuts and chestnuts. And this cashew sauce too! Well, apparently, I love pretty much everything in this recipe:)
Hehehe, thanks, Ben! 🙂
I love that tempeh-rice filling and for me, chestnut is a must! These cabbage rolls look really great, Evi.
Thanks, Angie!
I went to Hungary last month, but sadly I didn’t try stuffed cabbage there. I love Hungarian food, and I am sure, I will love your vegan and gluten-free version. Mushroom and tempeh sound like a great combo, Evi.
Thanks, Anu!
How exciting, what did you do in Hungary? 🙂
Ah, stuffed cabagge, Grundnahrungsmittel in Romania. 🙂 I usually make them with meat, but last week I made them vegan for the first time, with rice and vegetables, amazing! I am planning to post that as well sometime in March. The tempeh version sounds delicious as well, with the mushrooms and chestnuts, they probably taste “meatier” than just with rice. I have to try this (as soon as I can find tempeh again).
Thanks, Adina! I can’t wait to see and try your recipe too!
Love this! I left the rolls ‘unerapped’ for speed and cooked in slow cooker high 3 hrs. Lined cooker with torn (roughly ripped up large pieces of cabbage leaves (whole cabbage). Used the outer leaves of home grown cabbage. Delicious! Saves time wrapping! I’m vegetarian so added a cup chickpeas. More water (8 cups). 3.5 cups rice. 8 main meal servings
I’m really glad you liked the recipe, Marie!
Chickpeas sound like a great addition here 🙂
Hi! How long last cashew sour cream in the fridge? Can it be frozen?
Thanks:)
Hi,
it should last at least a week in the fridge (maybe also longer, but I’ve never tried). And it freezes well too 🙂