These vegan cabbage rolls are stuffed with a savory, smoky mixture of quinoa and lentils, then baked up in tomato sauce until piping hot. A delicious and healthy meatless main dish that's perfect for special occasions!
This is kind of a funny recipe for me. See, back when I started blogging, I never expected to post a recipe for vegan cabbage rolls. I felt like nobody would want vegan recipes for things they grew up eating. Boy have I learned a lot since then!
I realize now that you guys (and myself as well) are just as into delicious vegan versions of old favorites as totally original creations.
I initially wasn't sure I'd like these cabbage rolls much. I wasn't even certain I'd be sharing the recipe for them! But I ended up LOVING them. My husband and I polished these off with a big plate of vegan mashed potatoes.
Conventional, non-vegan cabbage rolls are a Polish thing, also knows as golabki. Do these taste like them? I'm not sure. Hey, it's been a while since I had one. But they're savory, smoky and delicious. A big, hearty meal of winter comfort food, and pretty darn healthy to boot. Can't beat that!
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What You'll Need
- Cabbage. The recipe calls for green cabbage, but there's no real reason you can't use purple cabbage. I recommend getting a large head of cabbage, even though you won't be able to use the whole thing. A larger head of cabbage will give you nice big cabbage leaves that are easy to roll. The leftover cabbage would be perfect in soup, such as my vegan borscht, curry cabbage soup, or vegan cabbage roll soup (which tastes just like this recipe but requires no rolling!)
- Brown lentils. Green lentils should work just fine as a substitute, though they'll take a bit longer to cook. I don't recommend using red lentils, as they have a totally different texture from brown and I'm not sure how the filling would turn out.
- Quinoa. Any color of quinoa works.
- Vegetable broth. I used Better Than Bouillon, but go with what you like!
- Onion.
- Olive oil.
- Red wine vinegar. White vinegar works fine if you don't have this on hand.
- Soy sauce. Gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
- Smoked paprika.
- Oat flour. This ingredient is optional and can be used to bind the filling together a bit. You could also use all-purpose flour, but I'm a fan of oat because it's gluten-free friendly and safe to taste-test before cooking.
- Tomato puree.
- Maple syrup. Feel free to use another sweetener if you'd like.
- Salt & pepper.
How to Make Vegan Cabbage Rolls
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Steam your cabbage. Place it in a large pot with a few inches of water, bring the water to a simmer, and cover the pot. Let your cabbage steam until the leaves are tender. Make sure to give it plenty of time — the top leaves may soften quickly, but the lower layers will still be firm and difficult to roll.
- While the cabbage steams, make your filling. You'll need to precook your lentils and quinoa. Heat up some oil in a skillet, and sweat a diced onion for a few minutes. Add the lentils, quinoa, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, and soy sauce. You can also add some oat flour (or all-purpose flour) at this point if you'd like. Stir everything well to fully mix up the ingredients.
- Make your sauce. To do this, simply stir your tomato puree, maple syrup, and some red wine vinegar together. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
- Roll your cabbage. Carefully remove a leaf from your steamed cabbage. Trim off any stiff areas towards the bottom that form part of the stem. Place a few tablespoons of the filling near the bottom of the leaf. Fold the bottom of the leaf over the filling, tuck in the sides, and roll it up tightly.
- Ladle some sauce into the bottom of a baking dish and arrange your cabbage rolls snugly in the dish as you roll them. Ladle the rest of the sauce on top, then bake your vegan stuffed cabbage until the sauce is bubbly.
- Dig in!
Make-Ahead Option
If you'd like to prep your vegan golabki in advance, assemble the rolls and arrange them in your baking dish with the sauce up. Cover and refrigerate them overnight. Then uncover and bake the rolls according to the recipe when you're ready to serve them.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan stuffed cabbage will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 2 months.
More Vegan Comfort Food Main Dishes
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Quinoa & Lentil Stuffed Vegan Cabbage Rolls
These stuffed vegan cabbage rolls are stuffed with a savory, smoky mixture of quinoa and lentils, then baked up in tomato sauce until piping hot. A delicious and healthy main dish that's perfect for special occasions!
Ingredients
- 1 large head of green cabbage*
For the Filling
- ¾ cup dried brown lentils**
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa***
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons oat flour, optional, for binding
For the Sauce:
- 1 (28 ounce or 800 gram) can tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, or sweetener of choice
- 1 ½ teaspoons red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Place about 3 inches of water into a large pot and add the entire head of cabbage stem side down.
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Place the pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil, lower the heat and and cover. Allow the cabbage to steam until leaves peel off easily, about 20 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and allow the cabbage to cool for a few minutes.
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While the cabbage steams, begin preparing the filling. Place the lentils in a saucepan and cover them with a few inches of water. Place the pot over high heat.
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Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat and allow the lentils to simmer until they're are just fully cooked (not mushy), about 25 minutes, adding water to the pot as needed. When the lentils are finished cooking, drain any excess liquid.
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While the lentils simmer, place the broth into a small saucepan and add the quinoa. Place the pot over high heat and bring the broth to a boil.
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Lower the heat, cover the pot and allow the liquid to simmer until all of the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
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Remove the pot from heat and allow it to sit with the lid on for 5 minutes before taking it off and fluffing the quinoa with a fork.
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Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the oil and place it over medium heat. Add the onion and cook it until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
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Add 1 ½ cups of the cooked lentils and 1 cup of the cooked quinoa (you'll have just a bit of each leftover), along with red wine vinegar, soy sauce, smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Add oat flour at this time if using. Flip the mixture a few times just to combine the ingredients, then remove from heat.
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Preheat the oven to 350°.
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Stir all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, then distribute about ½ cup of the sauce into the bottom of 9 x 9 inch (or similarly sized) baking dish.
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Carefully peel a leaf off of the cabbage head and place it onto a work surface with the stem side facing you. Trim any very thick portions of the leaf near the base.
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Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of filling onto the center of the leaf. Fold the base side over the filling, then wrap the sides inward over the filling. Roll the center away from you to wrap everything up. Place the roll, seam side down, into the baking dish. Repeat until all of the filling is used (you'll get about 8 rolls).
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Spoon the remaining sauce over the rolls, cover and bake for 1 hour. The sauce should be bubbly when the cabbage rolls are done baking.
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Remove the dish from the oven and allow the rolls to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
* You only actually need about 8 cabbage leaves for this recipe. In order to get the most large, easily rollable leaves, I suggest going with a large head and only using the larger, outermost layers of leaves. You can save the rest for another use.
** Precooked lentils can be used if you've got them on hand. You'll need 1 ½ cups.
*** Precooked quinoa can be used if you've got some on hand. You'll need 1 cup. Preferably use quinoa that's been cooked in broth.
Very similar to what I remember eating as a kid. I might just bring some of these to my family's Christmas party to show them vegetarian food can also be delicious. My wife says it reminds her of church basements, because that's the only place she ever had them as a kid.
That's awesome! I'm so glad you both enjoyed them, and I hope your family does too! Thanks Dave!
These look amazing! Do you think I could sub in brown rice instead of quinoa?
Thank you! I think brown rice would work well!
What can I use in place of lentils?
May some walnuts and mushrooms?
Can you freeze these after they are made and cooked?
I haven't tried, but I don't see why not!
Yes, you can. If I have too many, I freeze these right after I roll them. I put them individually on a cookie sheet in the freezer and then when they are frozen I put them all in a bag. Then when ready I take them out and cook them with the tomato sauce as I would normally do.
Hi! Did you end up freezing these? How did they turn out afterwards? I’m hoping to make them but since I’m the only one eating them, freezing makes sense for me.
I have been making my MIL’s beef recipe for years as a Jewish tradition. We started a plant based life in early Nov, so I was trying to figure out holiday dinner. Your recipe gave me the courage to try my own with a variation on filling.
I used a plant based ground meat substitute from Trader Joe’s a friend bought me (I have a great support system) along with black rice. I seasoned with my usual spices. I was worried the tomato would be too thick without the juice/fat from ground beef so I added a little vegetable stock. My traditional recipe also uses brown sugar and lemon juice, so I used that in lieu of the vinegar & syrup.
I cooked on low on the stove for 4 hours. I used to use a crock pot all day and wanted that same effect on the cabbage & flavors. I also needed the oven for another recipe.
It was a hit & my MIL approved! Other than the mixture not forming a shape & staying together, I call this a success. I will use your full recipe next time as we’re trying to go all whole foods and not substitute.
Yay! I'm so glad they were a hit! Thanks for sharing your results!!
My family has been eating WFPB since May 21 of 2019. My daughter and I trade recipes, and I happened to be cooking this one when she called today. I tasted the filling and just about melted with the shear pleasure of it. She was amused.I always ask, "What can I add to make this even healthier," and today the answer was finely diced carrots and chopped mushrooms. The breadwinner is going to be pretty dang happy when he wraps his lips around this creation!
Every week I meet up with an omnivore friend and give her a sample of what I have cooked. I tell her I want to show off my cooking, but really my ploy is to win her over to the dark side. This recipe just might do it.
Thanks, Alissa!
Carrots and mushrooms sound like wonderful additions! I'm so glad you're enjoying this! I hope it's a hit with your omni friend. :) Thanks Jodi!
Hi, I am new at cooking vegan dishes, but two of my daughters have decided to be vegan, so...
Do I use 3/4 cup of dried lentils?
Yup! I just edited the recipe to clarify.
I'm surprised that I haven't commented on these before. I've made these cabbage rolls every single holiday for the past few years. My parents still make their meat-filled ones, but these are better in my opinion. They are not vegan and they are stuck on tradition, so it is what it is.
I did use quinoa the first few times, but now I make them with rice and lentils. Rice in cabbage rolls is what I grew up with, so it's a little more comforting on holidays to have it in there. Other than that, I follow this recipe as is.
The smell of these cabbage rolls, while they cook, is the smell I grew up with and the taste is very similar but, as I said, better.
These were so so good. I'm not even a fan of brown lentils or quinoa but was really craving cabbage rolls LOL so I gave this a go and added fresh cilantro for a hit of freshness. They turned out so great! And this was me doubling the recipe. Thank you so much!
These are delicious. I followed your recipe exactly other than adding some chopped carrots to the sautéd onions. My vegan girl loved it. She wants me to make them again and add some chickpeas. It’s a great versatile dish! Thank you !!
I was making stuffed cabbage for my husband & I - had a BIG cabbage and lots of leftover leaves, so I thought I'd look for a vegetarian recipe to make for my vegetarian daughter and son-in-law. These are absolutely delicious! Made them exactly as the recipe called for and they were amazing! I'll be making them again!
The first time I made this I used the leaves but the second time I shredded the cabbage and made it like a casserole. It turned out delicious.
I followed the recipe exactly and these turned out amazing! Reminded me of my childhood when my family used to make them for the holidays but with meat. I can’t stop eating them! I will continue to make these again and again!
Is this 394 calories for the whole meal? Or per a certain number of rolls?
It's for one fourth of the total batch. The number of rolls in a serving depends on how many you end up making.
I have to make a confession. I make this with chopped up cabbage and it is wonderful! I skip the oil, up the seasonings just a little and I have delicious lunches for work! Thank you!
Make sure you salt the water and boil the cabbage well. I only blanched until I could peel the leaves. Tasty but tough. Either that or use savoy cabbage. Good recipe.
Can this be made in a slow cooker
I'm sure it can, but I haven't tried it so I can't provide instructions on how to do it. I'll updated the post if I ever give it a try!
HI. I am making this dish for Saturday nite. (It is Thursday). Should I bake it and reheat on Saturday, or just store in fridge after I have made the rolls and sauce and bake for first time on Saturday?
The stuffing tastes amazing!
Thank you
I've only ever reheated it after baking, but I think you could probably assemble it and then bake a few days later. Sorry for the late response on this! I hope you enjoy it!
Entire family loved it. I was worried because my husband in past did not like stuffed cabbage - but it was with meat.This made everyone happy and we will do it again. It takes a bit of time to do - but was worth it. Very few leftovers!
I seriously keep coming back to this recipe time and time again. I don’t write reviews often, so this one means a lot. My kids and I LOVE this! We’ve.been coming back to this for years to make again and again. Delicious and reminds me of how grandma made them… but better!
I haven't made this yet so I can't rate it. Can I substitute black beans for lentils? Hubby is not a fan of lentils.
Black bean should work just fine! Enjoy!