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rolled green cabbage leaves filled with ground beef and pearl barley in red tomato sauce, with one cut roll showing its filling in a plain baking dish
Andre Lewis

Beef and Barley Cabbage Rolls

Barley gives these rolls a pleasantly chewy filling and needs to cook before it meets the raw beef. Pick broad leaves from a large cabbage and shave the thick rib level with the leaf instead of cutting a hole through it. Roll firmly enough to hold the filling, but leave it room to settle. The tomato sauce is savory with paprika and dill, rather than sweet-and-sour, and the long covered bake gives the cabbage time to soften around the meat without drying the exposed folds.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large green cabbage about 3 lbs
  • 1/2 cup dry pearl barley rinsed
  • 2 cups water for barley
  • 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
  • 1 small yellow onion very finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1/2 tsp dried dill
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt divided
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes 28 oz
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth

Method
 

  1. Simmer barley in its 2 cups water for 30 to 35 minutes until tender, then drain and spread on a plate to cool. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. While the barley cooks, core cabbage carefully with a paring knife. Lower the head into a large pot of boiling water and loosen outer leaves with tongs as they soften; remove 12 broad flexible leaves over about 10 to 15 minutes and cool them.
  3. Shave the thick rib of each leaf level with its surface without cutting through. Mix raw beef, cooked barley, onion, garlic, paprika, dill, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; divide into 12 portions.
  4. Place a filling portion near the stem end of each leaf, fold the bottom over, tuck in the sides and roll loosely to enclose. Mix tomatoes, broth and remaining salt, spread 1 cup in a 9-by-13-inch dish and arrange rolls seam-side down in one layer.
  5. Pour remaining sauce over the rolls, cover tightly and bake for 80 to 90 minutes until cabbage is tender and the center of each roll reaches at least 160°F. Rest for 10 minutes and serve two rolls per person.