Stuffed Savoy Cabbage - German Recipe (2024)

Traditional German stuffed savoy cabbage rolls with minced meat served with a comforting white sauce and boiled potatoes.

This recipe for stuffed Savoy cabbage is another one of those German recipes, which, although I have eaten quite often in all the years I have been living here in Germany, I have actually rarely cooked myself.

Why? Well, this is another mother-in-law's standard recipe. Whenever my husband or his brother crave these rolls, they ask their Mama.

Some other of her cherished recipes are, for instance, this German Leek and Cheese Soup with Ground Pork, this German Beef Soup with Egg Custard and Marrow Dumplings, this Salad Torte with Vegetables, Ham and Cheese, or this German Cabbage Salad with Creme Fraiche and Herbs.

How to Savoy cabbage rolls?

Savoy cabbage:

• You will not need quite the whole Savoy cabbage for this recipe. I usually prepare more leaves than needed, just to make sure that I have enough when ready to form the rolls. Some leaves will be smaller or will break while you handle them, so make sure you have enough blanched savoy leaves to fix these issues.

Blanch the leaves:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt.
• Remove the first outer leaves of the cabbage in case they are wilted or have holes, and carefully remove the leaves by cutting them off the core.
• Blanch the leaves until wilted, about 2-3 minutes; remove from the water with a slotted spoon and let drain well. Pat them dry with kitchen paper before filling them.

Make the filling:

• Soak the white bread in a little water.
• Place the minced meat, finely chopped onion, mustard, sweet paprika powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
• Squeeze the bread well to remove the excess moisture and add to the bowl as well.
• Mix everything very well together.

Form the cabbage rolls:

• Work carefully; the blanched Savoy cabbage leaves are more tender than those of white cabbage, and they will be more likely to break.
• If that happens, don't worry; use some of the extra blanched leaves to cover the holes.
• Do the same if the leaves are too small; just overlap two or even three leaves to obtain a larger surface to fill.
• These particular cabbage rolls are generally a bit larger than the typical white cabbage or sauerkraut rolls that I make.
• You should have 8 rolls.
• Place some filling onto the middle-lower part of the leaf, fold the right and left sides over the filling, and roll the parcel starting at the base. Place the seam down on a plate.
• Some people bind the rolls with cooking string. You could do it if you are unsure that the rolls will hold their shape, but personally, I have never done it; it always worked well. Repeat to form all the rolls.

Cook:

• Heat the oil in a round Dutch oven or a deeper pan large enough to hold all the rolls in one layer.
• Fry the rolls on all sides until become golden brown all over.
• Pour the stock into the pan, cover, and bring to a boil.
• Turn the heat down to low and simmer the cabbage rolls for about 25 minutes.
• Remove from the pan and keep warm while you make the sauce.

Sauce:

• Add the milk to the cooking liquid in the pan. Bring to a boil.
• In the meantime, stir the cornstarch with a little water to form a paste.
• Slowly pour this mixture into the pot while whisking continuously.
• Let bubble a couple of times. Add some gratings of nutmeg and adjust the taste with salt and pepper.

How to serve?

Definitely, with boiled salted potatoes, there is no other way. 🙂

Leftovers?

• The leftover stuffed savoy cabbage rolls can be gently reheated in a little broth.
• The sauce should be reheated separately. Add some milk when reheating to make it thinner again.
• And what to do with the leftover Savoy cabbage? How about a nice German Savoy Cabbage Soup with Ground Meat and Potatoes.

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