Tender vegan cabbage rolls stuffed with sausagey chickpeas in rich tomato sauce is an easy, satisfying dish perfect for the holiday table!
Table of Contents
Growing up, my Nani Dorothy would often make cabbage rolls for holiday dinners, like Rosh Hashana and Hanukkah, and it's a great addition to Christmas dinner and Easter lunch, too. This vegan cabbage rolls recipe is my plant-based version of that dish from my childhood.
Instead of using vegan ground beef, we are replacing the meat with seasoned smashed chickpeas. And to save time, we are using tomato sauce from a jar to bake these tender vegan cabbage rolls.
If you prefer to make your own tomato sauce from scratch, go for it! You can also replace the chickpeas with lentils or white beans or with cooked veggie grounds, if you prefer.
💖 Why You'll Love this Recipe
- easy comfort food casserole perfect for the holidays
- simple, easy to find ingredients
- tender cabbage stuffed with seasoned chickpeas and rice baked in cozy tomato sauce
- naturally glute-free, soy-free, and nut-free
✓ Ingredients and Substitutions
- cabbage - You can use other leafy greens for your rolls, like dinosaur kale, savory cabbage, Napa cabbage, etc. Prepping the leaves to stuff and roll will vary, depending on how pliable the leaves are to start.
- olive oil - This is optional, to toast the fennel seeds and sauté the onion and garlic.
- chickpeas - Canned chickpeas are your "meat." You can use other beans, like white beans or lentils, if you prefer. For a meatier version, you can use cooked veggie grounds instead of beans.
- aromatics - Fresh onion and garlic bring so much flavor to this dish!
- rice - Cooked rice is traditional, but you can use other cooked grains of choice, like quinoa, couscous, etc.
- herbs and spices - We are roasting whole fennel seeds to give the vegan cabbage rolls a sausagey flavor. You will also. need salt, black pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika.
- tomato sauce - You can make your own or use a good, store-bought jar of sauce.
🔪 How to Make Vegan Rolled Cabbage
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the head of cabbage and boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the cabbage from the pan, and either rinse well or plunge it into a bowl of cold water.
Remove the 12 largest outer leaves. If your head of cabbage is huge, you may need to plunge it back into the hot water for a couple of minutes to help you get those last few leaves off. If the leaves are soft and pliable, set them aside. If any leaves are still too firm to fold, boil them for 2 to 3 more minutes, until they are soft and bendable, but not mushy.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the fennel seeds and cook them, stirring, for just about 30 seconds.
Then, add the onion, garlic, and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring until the onions are golden on the edges. Set aside.
Add the chickpeas to a large bowl and mash them well. Then, add the rice, salt, spices, ¼ cup of the tomato sauce, and the onion mixture from the skillet. Mix everything together really well. Or, you can combine the chickpeas, tomato sauce, and spices in the food processor.
Run it, then transfer to a bowl and stir in the rice and the onion mixture.
Spread about ½ cup of the remaining tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Scoop up ¼ to ⅓ cup of the chickpea mixture, shape it into a small log, and place it in the middle of one of the cabbage leaves. Fold the leaf in on the sides.
Then, roll the leaf up from bottom to top. Place seam-side-down in the baking dish, and repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and filling.
Pour on the remaining tomato sauce. Then, use about ¼ cup water to rinse out the jar of sauce and pour that over the cabbage rolls, as well. Cover the pan with foil, and bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve vegan rolled cabbage topped with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, like parsley or dill.
💡 Helpful Tips
- Keep an eye on the cabbage leaves, if you are boiling them further. You want them to be soft, so you can fold them, but don't let them get mushy. They'll cook more as the vegan rolled cabbage bakes in the oven.
- If your cabbage leaves are absolutely huge, you can trim off the excess after you have the filling rolled up securely.
- If you can't find a small head of cabbage, it's fine to use a large one. You'll just have more leftover cabbage. You also might find, with a bigger head, that the inner leaves are difficult to remove from that first boil. If so, submerge it in the hot water in the pan again to soften them up. Don't boil the whole head for longer, because the outer leaves will get too mushy.
🫙 Storage Directions
Leftover rolled cabbage will keep for three to five day in a closed container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
For an oil-free version, you can broth fry the onion, garlic, and fennel seeds together. That toasting step deepens all of the flavors but is optional.
🍴 More Holiday Main Dishes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Cabbage Rolls
Equipment
- 9x11" baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 small head of cabbage
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 cup minced onion
- 3 cloves garlic or more
- 15 ounce can of chickpeas drained
- 1 cup cooked rice
- ¾ teaspoon salt or 1 teaspoon, if you want the filling saltier
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 24 ounces good tomato sauce homemade or store-bought
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the head of cabbage and boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the cabbage from the pan, and either rinse well or plunge it into a bowl of cold water. Remove the 10 to 12 largest outer leaves (10 if your cabbage head is huge, 12 if it's small). If they are soft and pliable, set them aside. If any leaves are still too firm to fold without breaking, boil them for 2 to 3 more minutes, until they are soft and bendable, but not mushy. If your head of cabbage is huge, you may need to plunge it back into the hot water for a couple of minutes to help you get those last few leaves off.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the fennel seeds and cook them, stirring, for just about 30 seconds. Then, add the onion, garlic, and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring until the onions are golden on the edges. Set aside.
- Add the chickpeas to a large bowl and mash them well. Then, add the rice, salt, spices, ¼ cup of the tomato sauce, and the onion mixture from the skillet. Mix everything together really well. Or, you can combine the chickpeas, tomato sauce, and spices in the food processor. Run it, then transfer to a bowl and stir in the rice and the onion mixture.
- Spread about ⅓ cup of the remaining tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Scoop up ¼ to ⅓ cup of the chickpea mixture, shape it into a small log, and place it in the middle of one of the cabbage leaves. Fold the leaf in on the sides. Then, roll the leaf up from bottom to top. Place seam-side-down in the baking dish, and repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and filling.
- Pour on the remaining tomato sauce. Then, use about ¼ cup water to rinse out the jar of sauce and pour that over the cabbage rolls, as well. Cover the pan with foil, and bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve vegan rolled cabbage topped with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, like parsley or dill.
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!