Swedish Cabbage Rolls
Submitted by jbc
Traditional Swedish cabbage rolls (kåldolmar) filled with ground beef, pork sausage, and rice, browned in butter and brown sugar, then baked in broth and finished with a cream pan sauce. Comfort food with Scandinavian roots.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
90 minREADY
2 hrsKåldolmar, Sweden’s beloved cabbage rolls, are the kind of food that grandmothers make and nobody ever quite replicates.
Blanched cabbage leaves get wrapped around a filling of ground beef and pork mixed with milk-cooked rice, then browned in butter with a sprinkle of brown sugar that caramelizes into a sweet, savory crust.
Into the oven they go, nestled in broth, for a long, gentle bake until everything melds together.
The real payoff is the cream sauce: pan juices thickened with flour and enriched with cream, spooned over the top just before serving.
This is Swedish comfort food at its most soulful.
Kitchen Tips
- Blanch the whole cabbage head and peel leaves off as they soften. The outer leaves are the biggest and easiest to roll.
- Trim the thick center rib from each leaf with a paring knife so the rolls stay flat and don’t burst open during baking.
- The brown sugar in the browning step isn’t just for sweetness. It helps build a caramelized crust that adds color and depth to the final sauce.
- Serve with lingonberry jam on the side for the authentic Swedish experience.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut core out of cabbage.
Blanch cabbage in salted water ( 2 teaspoon per qt. water ) until leafs seperate.
Remove stem.
Cook rice in water until water is just gone then add milk and finish cooking.
Mix meat, egg, milk, salt, and white pepper together.
Take a cabbage leaf and place 2 tablespoons of meat mixture on one end and pull sides over center and roll.
Brown cabbage rolls in 2 tablespoons of butter and brown sugar.
Turn over and brown and then place in roasting pan.
Sprinkle with brown sugar. Deglaze skillet and add to pan.
Cover with water and a little bouilion.
Bake for 1 to 1½ hrs. at 350℉ (180℃).
Arrange on platter.
Make sauce by putting 1½ tablespoons flour, salt and pepper to taste and ½ cup cream with pan juices.
Cook until thick and pour over rolls.
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