Grandma’s Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe (Austrian Krautrouladen)

Stuffed cabbage rolls - also known as “Krautwickler” - are the perfect comfort food for cold days. They reheat beautifully and can also be frozen in portions, which makes them great for cooking ahead and serving quickly during busy weeks.

In this post, you’ll find my grandma’s original recipe for classic Austrian stuffed cabbage rolls, including a detailed step-by-step guide with lots of photos. I’ve also added a few tips for quicker and easier variations.

For this recipe, a filling made of ground meat, spices, and egg is wrapped in boiled cabbage leaves. The rolls are then wrapped in bacon, topped with a bit of broth, and gently braised in the oven.

The traditional side dish for stuffed cabbage rolls is usually boiled potatoes, but my grandma always served them with mashed potatoes. Oven-roasted vegetables are also a great match and can be cooked at the same time in the oven.

Jump to:

• Side Dishes for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
• Ingredients
• Step-by-step instructions
• Grandma’s Stuffed Cabbage Rolls - Authentic Austrian Family Recipe

Side Dishes for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

The classic sides for “Krautwickler” are boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes.

Alternatively, though not traditionally, you can roast vegetables right in the same roasting pan or on a separate baking sheet. Great options include pumpkin, cauliflower, kohlrabi, carrots, parsnips, parsley root, celeriac, potatoes, or onions.

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Ingredients

For the stuffed cabbage rolls

• 1 head of white cabbage
• 500 g ground meat (about 1.1 lb)
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 egg
• 1–2 teaspoon (10 g) salt
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1–2 teaspoon paprika
• 16 slices of bacon (preferably Viennese “Hamburgerspeck,” if available)
• 500 ml vegetable broth (about 2 cups)

For serving

• 250 ml sour cream (about 1 cup)
• Parsley
• Crispy pork cracklings (optional)

Step-by-step instructions

Use a sharp knife to remove the core from the head of cabbage.

Place the cabbage in a large pot of salted water and cook for 20 minutes, then cool it quickly under cold running water.

Meanwhile, peel the onion, finely chop it, and sauté it in 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan until it becomes translucent or lightly browned. Add the paprika, stir and cook for a few more seconds, then remove from the heat and let it cool.

Optional: you can also mix the finely chopped onion and paprika raw directly into the ground meat.

Peel and press the garlic cloves. In a large bowl, combine the garlic with the ground meat, egg, salt, pepper, paprika, and onion, and mix everything thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 200 °C (390 °F) fan.

Heat the vegetable broth in a pot.

Carefully separate the individual cabbage leaves and fill each one with the ground meat mixture.

Fold each cabbage leaf halfway over the filling, then tuck in the sides, and roll it up completely.

Wrap each roll with 1-2 slices of bacon (depending on the size of the cabbage leaf).

According to the original recipe, the rolls are then seared in a pan until crispy, but I personally skip this step and place the rolls directly into the roasting pan.

Pour the hot vegetable broth into the roasting pan until it reaches about 1–2 cm (½ inch) high.

Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes. During roasting, spoon some of the broth over the rolls every 10–15 minutes.

Optional: Mix the juices from the roasting pan with sour cream and pour over the rolls before serving.

Alternatively, serve the sour cream on the side without mixing, and pour the roasting juices directly over the rolls.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley (and optionally with a tablespoon of chopped crispy pork cracklings) before serving.