08/30/2026
My mom and I were having a conversation about food—as usual. Ha ha ha! Somehow, the topic of cabbage came up.
(maybe because we are starting to see cabbage at our markets)
And almost at the exact same time, we both said,
“Grandma’s stuffed cabbage rolls.”
Just like that, we could almost taste them.
We haven’t had them in so long, but the memory made our mouths water. My grandmother used to make stuffed cabbage rolls like they were nothing. There was no big production. No fancy recipe sitting on the counter. She just knew how to make them.
Tender cabbage leaves wrapped around beef filling, tucked into a pan with crushed tomatoes over the top and cooked until everything became soft, savory and comforting.
It was just food, right?
At least, that’s what we thought at the time.
But sitting there talking with my mom, I realized those cabbage rolls were so much more than dinner.
Because one food memory almost always leads to another.
We started remembering her kitchen. The things she cooked. The way certain dishes appeared on the table without anyone thinking twice about the work that went into them. The smells. The conversations. The people who were sitting around the table with us.
And suddenly, people and places that have been gone for years didn’t feel quite so far away.
That is what I love about food!!!
A recipe can carry a family story for generations.
Sometimes all it takes is the smell of something cooking in the oven, a familiar ingredient, or apparently…a conversation about cabbage.
So, of course, now I have to make Grandma’s stuffed cabbage rolls.
(or as close to what I remember the flavors and texture being)
And when I do, I know my mom and I won’t just be eating cabbage, beef, and tomatoes.
We’ll be having dinner with Grandma again.
Grandma’s Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Makes about 12 rolls
Ingredients
1 large Savoy cabbage
1 lb ground beef
1 cup cooked white rice, cooled
½ cup grated Romano
1 egg
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
Salt and black pepper
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil for the baking dish
Romano for serving, optional
To Make Them
Carefully separate 12–14 large cabbage leaves and blanch them in gently boiling water for 2–3 minutes, just until they’re soft enough to roll. Drain and trim down the thick center rib.
Mix the beef, cooked rice, Ramano, egg, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Don’t over mix it.
Place about ⅓ cup of filling into each cabbage leaf. Fold in the sides and roll it up just like Grandma did.
Lightly coat the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil. Nestle the cabbage rolls together seam-side down.
Pour the crushed tomatoes right over the top. Rinse the cam out with a little water and pour over the top. That’s it.
Cover and bake at 375°F for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes, until the cabbage is tender and the filling reaches 160°F.
Let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Spoon some of those tomatoes and juices from the bottom of the pan over each roll and finish with Romano cheese if you’d like.
A Little About Southern Italian Variations
There really isn’t just one way to make stuffed cabbage rolls in Southern Italy. Like so many dishes passed down through families, the filling often depended on the region, what was in the pantry, and simply how your grandmother made them.
Some versions use breadcrumbs mixed with ground meat, egg, Pecorino, garlic and parsley. Others use rice, as my grandmother did, while some use neither. You’ll also find variations with sausage, pork, different cheeses, or a red pepper.
That’s one of the things I love most about these old family recipes—there may be a traditional starting point, but every family eventually makes the dish its own.
The Pasta Lady Tip - Write down the recipes you remember.
Better yet, call your mom, grandmother, aunt, uncle—or whoever holds those food memories in your family—and ask them about a dish you haven’t eaten in years.
Because sometimes the recipe isn’t the most important thing we’re trying to preserve.
It’s the person who made it. The kitchen where we ate it. The people who were sitting around the table. And all those little moments we didn’t realize would become memories someday.
You may start out talking about cabbage.
But I promise you, you’ll end up talking about so much more.As a small token of our appreciation, below is a reward that can be used during your next visit. Hope you enjoy it!
