Stuffing the Cabbage - Family Holupchi Recipe

My Mom’s side of the family celebrates Ukrainian Christmas with a family meal every year.

I made the Holupchi this year using cabbage and onions we grew in our garden. I also substituted ground beef with impossible meat and walnuts.

Here is my mom’s recipe:

2 medium heads of cabbage

6 small onions, chopped

4 cups cooked rice

1.5 lb.  ground meat

2 eggs

3 cans tomato soup

1 small can tomato paste

Core the cabbage and boil in salted water until the leaves start to soften. Gradually pull outer layers off and drain leaves in a colander. Keep about 2 cups of the cabbage water for use in the gravy. 

Sauté the onions in oil in a large frying pan until translucent; add meat to same pan and fry but do not overcook. Mix with cooked rice. Add beaten eggs and mix well. 

Lay each cabbage leaf flat and shave off the big vein from the center with a sharp knife. Flip the leaves back over to stuff. Spoon about 2 T of filling at one end of the leaf and roll up, tucking in the sides as you go. Keep a little of the stuffing aside to add to the gravy. 

Place rolled up leaves in layers in a big roasting pan. 

To make the gravy, mix soup, 3 T paste, and 3 cans reserved cabbage water. Pour over cabbage rolls in pan and bake covered in 350 oven for about an hour. Remove cover and bake at least another 45 minutes.