🟡 Preview — not yet kitchen-tested. Recipe version 1.1 (15 Oct 2026) · Draft formulation — uncooked · Kitchen tester: not yet assigned · Video: technique demonstration (different recipe)

🥬 Голубці · holubtsi (stuffed cabbage rolls; also spelled holubtsy)

Tender cabbage leaves wrapped around lentils, brown rice and mushrooms, baked in tomato sauce. Cabbage rolls are loved across Ukraine and neighbouring countries. Fillings are often mostly grain (rice, buckwheat or barley) with meat or mushrooms, braised in tomato sauce; meatless versions appear on the Christmas Eve table. Families make them many ways.

Kitchen Monk adaptation of Ukrainian holubtsi. 🔄 What we changed: lentils and mushrooms instead of meat; no oil; a tomato sauce with no added salt or sugar; dill cream instead of sour cream. Smoked paprika is an optional Kitchen Monk touch, not a traditional ingredient.

🍽️ Serves 6 (12 rolls, 2 each) · ⏱️ Prep 45 min (with cooked rice and lentils ready) · Bake 50–60 min · Rest 10 min · Total about 1¾ hours (add about 45 min if cooking the rice and lentils from dry)
🍳 Equipment: large pot (big enough to hold the whole cabbage), tongs, small sharp knife, frying pan, 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13 in) baking dish, lid or foil

🧺 Ingredients

• 1 large green cabbage (about 1.3 kg), to give 12 large leaves
• 2 cups cooked brown rice, cooled (from about ⅔ cup / 125 g dry)
• 2 cups cooked brown or green lentils, drained, firm not mushy (from about ¾ cup / 150 g dry)
• 250 g mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• Black pepper, to taste
• Sauce: 700 g no-salt-added crushed tomatoes (about two 14.5-oz cans, or one 28-oz can minus a little), 1 cup water, 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. Soften the leaves. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. With a small knife, cut a deep circle around the cabbage core. Lower the cabbage into the water, core side down. After 2–3 minutes, lift it out with tongs and gently peel off the outer leaves that have gone bright green and floppy. Return the cabbage and repeat until you have 12 large leaves. If a leaf resists, give it another minute rather than pulling. Easier option: freeze the whole cabbage overnight and thaw it in the refrigerator; the leaves become pliable without boiling.
2. Trim the ribs. Lay each leaf flat, rib side up. With the knife held almost flat, shave the thick part of the rib down until it is about as thin as the rest of the leaf, so it rolls without cracking.
3. Make the filling. Heat the oven to 190 °C / 375 °F. Cook the onion and mushrooms in the frying pan with 2–3 tbsp water over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until their liquid has evaporated. Mix with the rice, lentils, garlic, dill and pepper. It should hold together loosely when squeezed.
4. Roll. Place about ⅓ cup filling near the rib end of a leaf. Fold the rib end over the filling, fold in both sides, then roll up firmly but not tightly (the rice and lentils need room).
5. Arrange. Line the dish with any torn or small leaves. Set the rolls seam side down in a single snug layer.
6. Sauce. Stir together the tomatoes, water and paprika and pour over the rolls; they should be mostly covered.
7. Bake covered with a lid or tightly sealed foil for 50–60 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling at the edges, a knife slides easily through a roll, and the centre of a roll is steaming hot (74 °C / 165 °F if you have a thermometer). Rest 10 minutes before serving.

💡 Troubleshooting: leaves tearing? They need another minute in the water, or overlap two small leaves. Rolls bursting? Use no more than ⅓ cup filling. Dry filling? Keep the rolls covered by sauce and the dish tightly covered. Watery sauce? Uncover for the last 10 minutes. Tough cabbage? Bake 10–15 minutes longer, covered.

🪑 Easier version: a deconstructed holubtsi bake (chopped cabbage, filling and sauce layered in one dish) is planned and not yet written.

🍽️ Serve with: a spoonful of tangy dill cream and a beet salad.

⚠️ Allergens: none of the major allergens in this formula; check canned-tomato labels. Naturally gluten-free ingredients; this recipe makes no gluten-free claim.

🔁 Substitutions: none tested yet.

🧊 Storing: this dish contains cooked rice. Cool leftovers quickly in shallow containers and refrigerate promptly; use within 3–4 days. Reheat covered until steaming hot throughout. ❄️ Freezing has not been tested with this recipe.

🎥 Technique demonstration

This video by НАШІ БЕСАГИ – їжа та рецепти shows trimming leaves and rolling meatless holubtsi with mushrooms and rice for Christmas Eve. It is a different recipe: it uses pickled cabbage leaves, fries the onion in oil, salts the cooking water, and bakes much longer at a lower temperature. Follow the ingredients and steps on this page. The creator has not reviewed or endorsed this adaptation.

🛒 Shopping checklist

• ☐ Green cabbage: 1 large head (about 1.3 kg / 3 lb)
• ☐ Brown rice (dry): about ⅔ cup (125 g), or 2 cups cooked
• ☐ Brown or green lentils (dry): about ¾ cup (150 g), or 2 cups cooked
• ☐ Mushrooms: 250 g (about 9 oz)
• ☐ Onion: 1
• ☐ Garlic: 2 cloves
• ☐ No-salt-added crushed tomatoes: 700 g (two 14.5-oz cans)
• ☐ Fresh dill: 1 small bunch
• ☐ Smoked paprika (optional) and black pepper (check your pantry)

🖨️ To print: use your browser’s Print command (on a phone, tap Share or ⋮, then Print).

📚 Cultural context: The Kyiv Independent and Ukraine.ua. These sources did not create or review this formulation. 🌱 Kitchen Monk Standard: no added salt, oil or refined sugar. Part of The Ukrainian Flourishing Table™ · kitchenmonk.org · Corrections welcome: rfjeep@gmail.com · Last reviewed 15 Oct 2026.