I love leniwe gołąbki (gołąbki bez zawijania) possibly more than the classic gołąbki (a Polish dish made of boiled cabbage leaves stuffed with ground meat, rice, and onions). I remember when my mom made the “lazy” or unstuffed version of gołąbki for the first time and we were amazed… less work but yet so flavorful. As a kid it felt like we were eating meatballs in tomato sauce— but they had one of my favorite vegetables (cabbage) inside. I like to add some heat but feel free to leave the red pepper flakes out.
Yield: 15 balls
- Ingredients
- For the leniwe gołąbki balls:
- 3 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated or finely chopped
- 1/4 of a medium green cabbage, very finely diced (about 3 cups)
- 1/4 cup basmati rice
- 1/4 cup kasza manna (finely milled wheat semolina)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more (optional)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon marjoram or oregano
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Preparation
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat, add onion and garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes or until translucent and tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside on a plate to slightly cool.
In a large mixing bowl, add cabbage, uncooked rice, kasza manna, eggs, half of the cooked onion and garlic, pork, marjoram, salt and pepper. Use hands to mix until combined. Roll the mixture into 2-inch balls. I get approximately 15 balls from this mixture.
Heat the frying pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Working in batches, brown the gołąbki balls on both sides for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside on a plate (they will cook completely in the sauce… do not worry!)
Without wiping out the frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 25 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and brown for 30 seconds or so (stirring as needed to prevent the garlic from burning). Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, marjoram, 1 cup of water, and season with salt and pepper. Cook sauce for about 4-5 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling. Carefully add the gołąbki balls into the sauce so that they are submerged. Turn the heat down to low and simmer, slightly covered, for about 50 minutes or until the sauce is thickened and the leniwe gołąbki are tender. Serve with additional red pepper flakes and chopped fresh marjoram or oregano if you have them (optional).