Cabbage rolls are a comforting and delicious meal to enjoy, especially in the colder months. A plus of this recipe is that they are a great make-a-head dinner, and you get two meals for the work of one. That is why we are sharing the best gluten-free Italian cabbage roll recipe, with you. They can be made dairy-free too.
This recipe will yield roughly 30 cabbage rolls, depending on the size of the cabbage. You can package them into as many servings as you need for a dinner. I tend to make two pans because I don’t mind having a few leftovers to enjoy for another dinner or lunch.
This gluten-free Italian cabbage roll recipe is my gluten-free take on the classic cabbage roll, which I grew up enjoying, as it too, highlights my Italian heritage.
This recipe will yield roughly 30 cabbage rolls, depending on the size of the cabbage. You can package them into as many servings as you need for a dinner. I tend to make two pans because I don’t mind having a few leftovers to enjoy for another dinner or lunch.
If you have a smaller cabbage, you may only yield 1 pan. This means you’ll need to cut the filling proportions in half.
Please don’t be put off by the length of this recipe. There are many tips that I share, that should ensure success when making these delicious gluten-free Cabbage Rolls. This recipe may be a little labour-intensive, but it is economical and filling and you get more than one meal out of it. On occasion, I make two cabbages and just do a huge batch. I have them in the freezer, especially during the holidays. What is better than having a healthy meal you can throw in the oven, after a long day?
The Best Gluten-Free Italian Cabbage Roll Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 Medium green cabbage
For the Filling
- 2 cup Minute Rice – you can use your favourite rice, (but not Arborio, simply due to its consistency.) Know brown rice works well too.
- 2.5 lb minced ground Beef
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley- I like to use the parsley paste I make from my garden, but you can use fresh or even dried. If dried used 1/2 tbsp.
- 2 tbsp basil- I like to use the basil paste I make from my garden, but you can use fresh or even dried. If dried used 1 tbsp.
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 tsp each of granulated onion and granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp grated Parmesan (optional, as you can use a dairy-free cheese or just add more seasoning)
- 1/4 c passata (strained tomatoes) or a plain tomato sauce
For the sauce (per pan)
- 1 c passata (strained tomatoes) or tomato sauce
- 1/2 tbsp basil
- 1/4 tsp each of granulated garlic, granulated onion, salt pepper
- 1/4 c water
Directions:
Making The Cabbage Rolls
- Wash and dry a medium cabbage.
- Turn the cabbage over and remove as much of the core as you can with a paring knife (you want to cut deep into the cabbage around the steam). Throw the core away.
- Fill a large pot (bigger than the cabbage) 3/4 of the way with water- so the pot will not overflow when you place the cabbage in the pot.
- Place the pot on the stove on high heat and gently insert the cabbage before the water comes to a full boil.
- Place a strainer or colander in your sink
- After the pot has come to a full boil for about five minutes, use tongs to check to see if the outer leaves have started to soften. (the leaves will look wilted and the colour should have changed slightly.)
- Using tongs, gently pull the top leaf away from the cabbage. If you can get the tongs under the cabbage leaf and pull it off with minimal effort and the leaf is soft and not rigid- it is cooked.
- Remove those leaves from the pot and place them in the strainer in the sink.
Tip: If you are unsure leave those leaves for 2-3 extra minutes.
- Meanwhile, make 2 cups of minute rice per package instructions, and allow to cool completely.
Tip: You can use any long or short-grain rice you have, other than Arborio, as long as it is fully cooked and cooled. I’m choosing to use Minute Rice because I find it faster and more convenient. You could even make the rice ahead of time to have it cooled and ready. This is also a great way to use up any plain rice you may have leftover in the fridge.
- When the hot cabbage leaf is cool, remove it from the strainer and place it on a cutting board.
Tip: This is so you can keep all of the larger leaves together.
- Continue this process until all the leaves have cooked through, you may sometimes have to wait 5 -7 minutes in between leaf removal to ensure that they are all soft & cooked.
Tip: Once you get more than halfway through the cabbage you may want to carefully remove it from the pot, cut out the remaining core with a pairing knife, and then place it carefully back in the pot.
- When all you have in the pot is the tiny center of the cabbage (where the leaves are very folded and too small to roll – you’ll have seen the leaves get progressively smaller as you remove them) allow that to boil for an additional 10 minutes so it cooks through. Do not peel these leaves apart.
- Remove the center of the cabbage and place it in the strainer to cool.
- Once the cabbage center is cooled mince it.
- In a large bowl, mix the beef, parsley, basil, seasonings, Parmesan (optional), minced cabbage, and passata (tomato sauce.) You want to ensure this mixture is well combined.
Note: If you want to make the cabbage rolls dairy-free or lactose-free, you can omit the Parmesan cheese, and simply add more seasoning, namely salt, to give you the flavour that the cheese would give you.
- After you have seasoned the meat, I recommend you fry a tiny bit (just a pinch) in a frying pan and taste it, to ensure the seasoning is to your liking, as well as being a well-balanced flavour. You want the filling to be very tasty.
- Add the cooled rice to the meat mixture, and combine well.
- Get a 9 x 13 baking dish, lightly oil or spray with cooking spray- I typically do two 9×13’s so I can place at least one in the freezer, for a quick meal on a busy night.
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, mix the Passata (tomato sauce) basil, granulated garlic, granulated onion, salt, pepper, and water- taste and adjust as needed.
Tip: you have to mix this amount of sauce for each pan you are making.
- In the bottom of the greased 9×13 pan put about 1/4 cup of the sauce- it should cover the bottom in a thin even layer. (You should not be able to see the pan)
Tip: we are putting this passata sauce on the bottom and the top of the cabbage rolls as they will steam in that tomato liquid when they are baked off in the oven.
Tip: If you have a plain tomato basil sauce you could use that sauce in the pan. I do not like to use a sauce that has meat in it because the meat might burn.
- On a cutting board, place one large cabbage leaf.
- Unfurl any sides that may have folded over, as you want the cabbage to be as flat as possible.
- Using a pairing knife, remove the hard steam of the leaf- you will notice a hardcore in a triangular shape at the bottom of the cabbage leaf, remove that and throw it out or compost it as I do.
- Fold the two sides of the cabbage leaf over each other slightly, where the core was- so they meet and there is no longer the hole you cut into it.
Tip: If your cabbage leaf is small and you can't cover the hole, you can place a piece of another cabbage leaf over the opening.
- Take your desired amount of filling, I like about 2 1/2-3 tablespoons of filling, per cabbage roll, and shape it into a wide log. Patch any holes with extra cabbage pieces.
- Roll the cabbage roll like you would a tortilla. Fold the sides over to cover the filling, then tightly roll them up.
Tip: You want the meat to be completely covered with cabbage. You cannot have any meat peeking out where you cut out the core. If you do, unroll it -patch a hole with another piece of cabbage and re-roll.
- Place the cabbage rolls seam-side down into the prepared pan.
- Repeat with each cabbage roll, until the pan is full. You want the cabbage rolls to fit snugly, but not be jammed in.
- Make a second pan or even use a smaller oven-safe dish to make smaller meals of cabbage rolls for the freezer.
- Pour the rest of your passata sauce over top of the cabbage rolls. You want all sides to be covered.
- Next, cover the pan with a piece of parchment paper and then a layer of foil.
- At this point, you can decide to either place them in the fridge to save for later that day, or for use the next night. If you are not using them that day or the next, put them in the freezer.
Tip: They must be frozen in glass or ceramic, as you cannot freeze in metal.
Tip: If freezing- label with the number of cabbage rolls in the pan, the date made, and even the cooking instructions. I also like to keep a freezer list, so I always know what make-a-head meals I have, on hand.
Cooking The Cabbage Rolls
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Place the pan of cabbage rolls on a cookie sheet lined with foil that is larger than the 9×13- in case the cabbage rolls bubble up, so it doesn’t get on your oven.
- Cook with the foil on for at least 60 minutes- 90 minutes if they are frozen when they go into the oven.
- You will know they are cooked when a paring knife inserted into the cabbage roll, pierces through the cabbage easily. When you take the knife out and touch it -it should be hot to the touch and a thermometer inserted in one of the cabbage rolls reads an internal temperature of 160° F.
Tip: They need to be hot in the middle to know they are cooked through.
- If they are not heated through, put the foil lid back on and cook another 30 minutes.
Optional:
- After the cabbage rolls are cooked, remove the pan from the oven, and discard the foil and parchment.
- Sprinkle the top of the cabbage rolls with Parmesan cheese or a mix of Parmesan and mozzarella, or provolone, then place the pan back in the oven for a few minutes under the broiler, to allow the cheese to melt.
- Remove from the oven and serve and enjoy.
Tip: I place my 9×13 on a trivet on the table and serve it right out of the pan.
Be sure to pour a little of the extra tomato, from the bottom of the pan, on the cabbage rolls as you serve them.
The gluten-free Italian cabbage roll recipe can be served on its own, or served with gluten-free garlic bread. You can use any gluten-free bread you have to make garlic bread. I sometimes even use hotdog buns or hamburger buns that have been in the freezer for a while. If you serve it along with a green salad- the white balsamic dressing from our gluten-free hamburger salad recipe works amazingly well.
In a large bowl, mix the beef, parsley, basil, seasonings, Parmesan (optional), minced cabbage, and passata (tomato sauce.) You want to ensure this mixture is well combined. . 
Ingredients
For the Filling
For the sauce (per pan)
INSTRUCTIONS/NOTES/TIPS
Making The Cabbage Rolls
Cooking The Cabbage Rolls
Optional:
Serve