Grandma Elaine's Unstuffed Sweet and Sour Cabbage Recipe - Allrecipes.com
Grandma Elaine's Unstuffed Sweet and Sour Cabbage Recipe
  • READY IN 3+ hrs

Grandma Elaine's Unstuffed Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Read Reviews (25)

"This is a family heirloom recipe that has been handed down through the ages. My mother taught it to me, and I tweaked it to its current form. I have eaten all kinds of 'stuffed' cabbage and this recipe beats them all. It's sweet, sour, and comforting. The flavors are even better the second day. This dish also freezes well." —  

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Original recipe makes 10 servings Change Servings
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Directions

  1. Place the vegetable oil into a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the sliced onions, and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce, using a spoon to slightly chop the whole tomatoes. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir the cabbage into the tomatoes. Cover, and simmer 1 hour until the cabbage is tender and mixes easily with the tomatoes.
  2. Place the ground beef, eggs, finely chopped onion, rice, water, additional 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix together with hands until thoroughly blended. Add additional rice if mixture is too moist. Form into golf ball-sized meatballs. Place meatballs on a plate, and refrigerate 20 minutes to firm.
  3. Place meatballs on the surface of the tomato mixture. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the meatballs are firm and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Gently stir the meatballs into the tomato mixture. Cover the pot and continue to simmer 45 minutes more. Stir in the lemon juice, and taste for seasoning, adding additional lemon juice if required. Stir in the raisins, and honey. Add the brown sugar, a little at a time, tasting after each addition. Cook mixture over medium heat 15 minutes more.
Kitchen-Friendly View
  • PREP 20 mins
  • COOK 2 hrs 40 mins
  • READY IN 3 hrs 20 mins
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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review
Oct 20, 2008

This is the first recipe I have done a review on. I have made this multiple times and it is awesome. I made it as written. Don't leave out the ingredients you add at the end. They are what makes this recipes flavor so unique.

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Most Helpful Critical Review
Feb 22, 2011

I wouldn't use this again. I thought the meatballs were hard and the recipe was time consuming. I prefer the ease and taste of the unstuffed cabbage recipe that is all thrown into a 9x13 pan.

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Apr 21, 2010

We really liked this. I adjusted this recipe to use 5lbs of ground beef, so I made a LOT of it. I took it easy on the salt and really easy on the sugar. This would have been way too sweet for us as written, so be sure to sweeten it to your taste. The lemon and raisins are a fantastic addition. Thanks for the recipe!

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Mar 15, 2010

THis is really good. It takes a few hours to prepare but it is really worth it. There is a nice balance between the sour lemon juice and the brown sugar and honey. I highly recomend this!

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Nov 11, 2008

I will never make cabbage rolls again. I have rarely heard my husband rave as much or as often as he does about this recipe. I make only a couple of changes. I use regular brown rice in the meatballs, and use a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses in evaporated cane juice in place of the brown sugar. I doubled this because I have a family of 11, and I usually think when it says "serves 10" they don't mean 10 of my kids! In this case, though, the recipe is abundant. I made it in a big Nesco roaster, and it was fabulous. A few kids would have preferred it without raisins, but I think the flavor is important. Fabulous recipe! I am so thankful to have it!

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Dec 12, 2007

I too grew up with this recipe. It is truly wonderful and worth the time. It was always a special occasion at our house when mom made this. However, I have never tried the brown sugar. Sounds yummy. I prefer to use splenda or sweet n low instead of any sugar and leave everything as the original recipe states. Mom used to make a separate pot like this for my dad who was diabetic and it too is fabulous. Pete's sister.... :)

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Oct 24, 2011

I thought that this was an excellent recipe and loved the blend of flavors. I left out the raisins because we don't like them but it was still excellent. Also because I don't have time or patience to make meatballs, I used prepared frozen meatballs so the recipe came together in a snap. We served it over brown rice.

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Mar 28, 2011

Very easy and tasty. I used a bag of cole slaw mix instead of chopping the cabbage. I also replaced the raisin with a cup of prunes. And to make it the way my family likes it, I crumbled 10 ginger snaps in with the lemon juice, honey and sugar, which gives it a zing and helps thicken the sauce.

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Nutrition

  • Calories
  • 347 kcal
  • 17%
  • Carbohydrates
  • 34.7 g
  • 11%
  • Cholesterol
  • 97 mg
  • 32%
  • Fat
  • 15.2 g
  • 23%
  • Fiber
  • 4.7 g
  • 19%
  • Protein
  • 20.4 g
  • 41%
  • Sodium
  • 1117 mg
  • 45%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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