Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls Recipe (Polish Galumpkis)

This easy, Polish comfort food is a family favorite! The baked version of the recipe was given to my mom by her best friend way back in the 1930s.

And - if you are of Polish descent... Is it Galumpki or Golumpki?

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❤️ Why you'll love it

• Traditional cabbage rolls are a classic comfort food dish that the whole family will love.
• They are filled with a delicious beef and rice mixture and smothered in a creamy tomato sauce.
• The best part is that they can be made in a crock pot, so you can come home to a delicious meal all ready to eat.

Homemade galumpkis (stuffed cabbage or cabbage rolls depending on where you are from) are so easy to make in a crock pot!

Tender leaves of steamed cabbage are rolled around a tomato-y rice and beef mixture, then covered in a creamy tomato sauce and slow cooked to perfection.

Since it's a slow cooker recipe it's perfect for busy weeknights. Just assemble the night before and let cook all the next day!

Easy on the budget and family friendly!

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

📖 Variations

• Ground turkey or ground pork can be used in place of ground beef.
• For a vegetarian version, use cooked lentils or quinoa in place of the ground beef.
• Add 2 cups of your favorite chopped veggies to the beef mixture (e.g. mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers).
• If you want a sweeter sauce add a tablespoon of brown sugar to the tomato soup.
• A dash of Worcestershire sauce added to the beef mixture will give a deep rich flavor.

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

1. Steam the whole head of cabbage in a large covered pot of boiling water.
2. Cook the ground beef and onions until cooked all the way through, then add in all the other ingredients to the ground meat mixture.
3. Fill the steamed cabbage leaves with the meat mixture and roll.
4. Place cabbage rolls to the bottom of the slow cooker and top with sauce.

🥬 How do you blanch cabbage?

You'll need to blanch the cabbage for these slow cooker cabbage rolls so that the leaves are soft and pliable.

1. First, you'll want to choose a cabbage that is relatively loose rather than solid and tight.
2. Next cut the heart out where the stem was. and cut up into the cabbage in a circle - like removing a cork or a plug.
3. Bring about 3 inches of salted water to a boil in a large (tall) pot.
4. Place the cabbage in the boiling water with the cut side down. Cover.
5. Boil for 5 minutes or so.
6. Run the cabbage leaves under cool water and lay them out, ready to be filled and rolled.

🥫 Storage

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: To make in the oven put the stuffed cabbage rolls in a casserole dish and cover with the sauce as directed in recipe. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350F.

• To help with rolling the cabbage leaves cut a "v" out of the bottom of the leaf where it's thick.
• Add a little water or V8 juice to the bottom of the crock pot to prevent sticking and burning.
• When rolling the cabbage leaves wrap them like a burrito and tuck the leaves under to prevent them from unraveling.
• Garnish plates with a sprinkle of fresh parsley for a beautiful color.
• When rolling the cabbage leaves wrap them like a burrito and tuck the leaves under to prevent them from unraveling.
• Cabbage rolls can be assembled up to 3 days ahead of time and cooked when desired.
• Make this into an easy 30 minute cabbage roll casserole by chopping the cabbage up and mixing in the remaining ingredients - bake in a 13x9 in pan at 375F for 20 minutes or until heated through.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

📚 Related recipes

• Slow Cooker Sausage and Potatoes is a hearty comfort food that the entire family will enjoy.
• Burrito Casserole recipe is a creamy, easy, weeknight dinner with lots of Tex-Mex flavor. Layers of tortillas, beef, beans, and cheese in a creamy sauce is an absolute dream. It’s make ahead easy and your grocery budget is going to love it, too!
• Chicken Tetrazzini is one of those comforting casseroles that was a fixture in many of our childhoods. It was creamy, savory, and filling – I loved it as a kid and as a Mom! Let’s face it – you can take a little chicken and use more pasta and create a filling, delicious dinner for the whole family. 
• Stuffed peppers are high on my list of comfort food. A tomato-y beef and rice mixture is stuffed into green peppers and baked in the oven until the house smells like you want to chew on the walls and your stomach is turning somersaults in anticipation. It’s a gloriously easy meal that your wallet will thank you for.

🍽️ Serve with...

• Maple roasted carrots are sweet with a hint of caramelization. So good with this meal.
• Southern Green Beans is an easy recipe that is fresh and pairs well with this comforting meal.
• If you are looking for a great recipe to make for dessert with this dish, look no further than this Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake recipe.

🥄 Restless Chipotle recommends

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• cabbage
• white rice
• ground beef
• onion
• Campbells condensed tomato soup
• sour cream
• paprika
• slow cooker
• large skillet

📞 The last word

Mom used to put cabbage rolls in a big Dutch oven and cook in a slow oven for several hours... that is until she got her first crockpot. 🙂

This is slow cooked for about six to eight hours to reach yummy perfection. The sauce is tangy and sweet, the cabbage is delicate and tender, and the rice and beef mixture is... unbelievably good.

Make it stretch further by using more rice and less meat. You can also add chopped mushrooms to help stretch it more.

Making this cabbage roll recipe doesn't take that long at all and the house will smell amazing.

And if you love cabbage try this pork and red cabbage in the slow cooker.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

4.67 from 12 votes

Easy Cabbage Rolls (Galumpkis) Recipe

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Polish stuffed cabbage rolls are filled with rice and beef, and simmered all day in a slow cooker with a tomato and sour cream sauce. You'll need a can of tomato soup for this one. It just isn't the same without it.

Course Main Dish - Ground Beef

Cuisine American - Vintage,German/Eastern European,Polish

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours hours

Total Time: 8 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings:8 servings

Calories:536

Author:Marye Audet-White

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Equipment Needed

• ▢
  Slow Cooker

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cabbage, remove core
• ▢ 2 cups rice, cooked
• ▢ 1 ½ pounds ground beef
• ▢ 1 onion, chopped fine - optional
• ▢ 32.25 ounces Campbells condensed tomato soup, 3 10.75-ounce cans
• ▢ ¼ cup sour cream, more if desired
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

• Place the cabbage head core side down in a pot with about 3 inches water.
• Cover and steam over medium heat for 10 minutes.
• Check the cabbage, the top few leaves should be very transparent and pliable. Peel them off.
• Continue to steam the cabbage and peel off the outer leaves as they get done. The leaves should be VERY pliable. You may be able to use all of the leaves, although the cabbage rolls will get smaller in size.
• Chop up any remaining cabbage.
• Saute the beef and onion until thoroughly cooked.
• Mix the rice and ground beef mixture. Add about ¼ cup condensed tomato soup, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Prepare the crock pot by spraying with cooking spray. Pour about ½ cup of tomato soup on the bottom of the crock pot. Spread the chopped cabbage over it.
• Place a heaping spoonful of the meat mixture in the center of a cabbage leaf.
• Fold in the ends and roll up.
• Place seam side down in the crock pot.
• Repeat until you have a layer of cabbage rolls in the bottom.
• Pour more tomato soup (about ½ cup) over the first layer and add a second layer of cabbage rolls over it.
• Continue until the cabbage leaves are all used up.
• Pour about ⅓ cup water or V-8 juice in the crockpot.
• Mix the remaining tomato soup and the sour cream and pour over the top.
• Slow cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
• Serve with more sour cream if desired.

Notes

Storage:

Leftover cabbage rolls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It's best not to freeze them.

Reheat the leftovers in the microwave or in a covered pot on the stove until warm all the way through.

Tips:

Expert Tip: To make in the oven put the stuffed cabbage rolls in a casserole dish and cover with the sauce as directed in recipe. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350F.

• To help with rolling the cabbage leaves cut a "v" out of the bottom of the leaf where it's thick.
• Add a little water or V8 juice to the bottom of the crock pot to prevent sticking and burning.
• When rolling the cabbage leaves wrap them like a burrito and tuck the leaves under to prevent them from unraveling.
• Garnish plates with a sprinkle of fresh parsley for a beautiful color.
• When rolling the cabbage leaves wrap them like a burrito and tuck the leaves under to prevent them from unraveling.
• Cabbage rolls can be assembled up to 3 days ahead of time and cooked when desired.
• Make this into an easy 30 minute cabbage roll casserole by chopping the cabbage up and mixing in the remaining ingredients - bake in a 13x9 in pan at 375F for 20 minutes or until heated through.

You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 536kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 674mg | Potassium: 1388mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 890IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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First published December 2010. Last updated May 18, 2023 for better used experience.