What to Serve With Cabbage Rolls: 20 Yummy Pairings

Every culture has its own variation of cabbage rolls.

Cabbage rolls are healthy, mouth-watering, and highly versatile. You can stuff them with various fillings, from meat to tofu and vegetables like mushrooms and fried onions. They go well with several sauces and side dishes.

This article is about the best foods that you can serve with cabbage rolls. So, what do you serve with cabbage rolls?

We have also come up with other dishes to serve with cabbage rolls. So, read on to know more!

20 Dishes That Go Great with Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage rolls are a flavourful meal that you can pair with different sauces, vegetables, and side dishes. Here are some ideas for sides to serve the next time you make cabbage rolls.

1. Roasted broccoli

Chinese broccoli

 

Roasted broccoli is healthy and easy to prepare. It has a slightly smoky flavor and a crunchiness that makes it a good pair with cabbage rolls.

You can always apply different spices and garlic to your roasted broccoli to elevate it from the not-so-fun green vegetable you’ve always known to a delicious, hearty side. 

Broccoli also makes for a healthy side dish as it is good for your heart and immune system and can help maintain cholesterol levels.

2. Goulash

Goulash

Goulash is a stew or soup of meat and vegetables seasoned with paprika and other spices. It is a traditional Hungarian dish that pairs well with cabbage rolls.

You can serve goulash with Hungarian cabbage rolls for a complete traditional Hungarian meal. Hungarian cabbage rolls are usually stuffed with sauerkraut cabbage leaves, minced meat, eggs, and rice seasoned with paprika.

3. Sauteed mushrooms

Mushrooms saute

Mushrooms are a common stuffing for cabbage rolls. But if you have leftover mushrooms while preparing cabbage rolls, you can also serve them as a side dish!

Sauteed mushrooms are delicious, healthy, and easy to prepare. Just chop mushrooms into slices and cook them with butter, garlic, and spices. You will get your healthy, smoky mushrooms to serve with your main course.

4. Corn salad

Corn salad

Corn salad is a super versatile side dish. It is fresh, healthy, and light, making it a good mix with the filling meal that is cabbage rolls.

The best part about corn salad is that it only takes minutes to make. There are many things that you can add to corn salad like nuts, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, cucumber, etc.

5. Grilled sweet potatoes

Grilled sweet potatoes

Grilled sweet potatoes will become your favorite go-to side dish once you try them.

The balance between the taste of sweet potato and the spices on top makes it tasty. Also, grilled sweet potatoes go well with the flavors of cabbage rolls.

If you want, you can always add herbs and spices like paprika, garlic, cilantro, etc., to add a zing to the sweet potatoes.

6. Applesauce

Applesauce

Cabbage rolls are often served with a spicy, flavorful sauce for a little kick. However, you might have never considered serving them with slightly sweet tasting applesauce!

You can easily make applesauce at home with ingredients like apples, lemon juice, honey, and cinnamon powder. It adds a tart flavor to cabbage rolls and improves the already intense mouthful of flavor.

7. Tomato soup

Tomato soup

Tomato soup is a classic. It has a comforting taste that is a blend of sweetness and tartness.

You can easily make tomato soup at home to complement cabbage rolls. Moreover, tomato soup is one of the healthiest choices of side dishes.

It is rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and improves your immunity, skin, and heart.

8. Garlic bread

Garlic bread

Garlic bread is another classic side dish that you can serve with cabbage rolls. Garlic bread is buttery, filling, and often has a delightful flavor of herbs.

The best part? It is very easy to make at home and can be toasty, cheesy, and spicy, according to your liking!

9. Grilled asparagus

Grilled asparagus is a great side dish to serve with cabbage rolls.

It tastes delicious and crunchy. You can season grilled asparagus with salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon juice, etc. It is also extremely healthy and helps in detoxing your body.

Also, asparagus has very few calories, making it the perfect option for health-conscious people.  

10. Bean salad

Cannellini beans

Bean salad has an earthy taste that provides an excellent contrast to flavor-filled and spicy cabbage rolls. It is also highly versatile and good for your health.

Beans are a good source of antioxidants, fibers, proteins, and iron. To make the best bean salad, you can mix different beans with cucumber, tomatoes, lemon juice, herbs, onions, parsley, mint, cilantro, vinegar, etc.

11. Cauliflower mac and cheese

Cauliflower mac and cheese

Cauliflower mac and cheese is creamy, tender, and goes well with cabbage rolls.

Cauliflower mac and cheese is a plant-based, gluten-free alternative to regular mac and cheese. It replaces macaroni with boiled cauliflower pieces. Cauliflower offers several health benefits that can make a healthy side dish for cabbage rolls.

12. Buttermilk Coleslaw

Buttermilk Coleslaw

Buttermilk coleslaw is a fresh, creamy, and slightly tangy dish that you can pair with cabbage rolls. It is easy to make and can be a filling addition to your meal.

Buttermilk coleslaw is made by combining mayonnaise, coleslaw, buttermilk, lemon juice or vinegar, and seasoning. You can always add more chopped veggies, grains, or meats to this dish to make it tastier and healthier.

13. Roasted carrots

Roasted carrots

Roasted carrots are another healthy choice to serve as a side dish with cabbage rolls.

They are a good source of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and potassium. Moreover, they can help you lose weight and maintain cholesterol levels.

Making roasted carrots at home is easy and does not require a lot of time. You can season roasted carrots with salt, pepper, and spices. You can also add some sugar or honey to them to make glazed carrots.

14. Cornbread

Cornbread

Cornbread is made of cornmeal instead of flour. It can be plain or sweet according to your preference, and it serves as a good side with cabbage rolls.

The best part is that cornbread is much healthier than white bread with a fluffy interior and a crispy texture that is in contrast with that of cabbage rolls.

Moreover, cornbread is a very filling side dish.

15. Yogurt

yogurt

Cabbage rolls are traditionally served with yogurt in the Middle East. Yogurt can become a good combination with cabbage rolls as it is cold and has a thick consistency that contrasts with the intense flavor and stuffings inside cabbage rolls.

You can make yogurt at home or simply serve store-bought yogurt with cabbage rolls as a side dish. It is one of the healthier foods to serve. Additionally, you can have non-dairy and low-fat yogurt according to your preference.

16. Braised leeks

Leeks

Braised leeks are an uncommon but excellent side dish. They taste earthy and work well with cabbage rolls. They are also easy to make at home and good for your health.

17. Mashed potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are the ultimate side dish that complements any food. Their smooth, creamy texture goes well with the taste of cabbage rolls and their fillings.

You can also add extra cream, butter, cheese, spices, or even pieces of cabbage and onions into your mashed potatoes to make them suit your liking.

18. Mashed cauliflower

Pureed Cauliflower

If you want to take things up a notch, serve cabbage rolls with mashed cauliflower instead of the usual mashed potatoes.

Not only does mashed cauliflower take less time to make, but it is also lower in carbs and lighter than mashed potatoes.

19. Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussel Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are nutritious and great as a side dish to accompany cabbage rolls. Grilled Brussels sprouts have a fresh and slightly tender taste.

You can season them with salt, pepper, vinegar or lemon juice, paprika, garlic, etc.

20. Potato pancakes

Potato pancakes

Potato pancakes are delicious and filling.

Their creamy flavor, mixed with the slightly tangy kick of applesauce, makes them a great combination with cabbage rolls. They are easy to make at home and take only 30 minutes.

Moreover, you can always add some cheese, cream, and spices to them for an even better flavor.

What Are Cabbage Rolls?

Cabbage rolls consist of cooked cabbage leaves rolled around fillings including beef, pork, lamb, tofu, seafood, egg, mushrooms, etc.

These are baked and seasoned with spices, onion, and garlic. You can serve them with sauce and various side dishes.

Historically, people from different cultures ate cabbage across the world. As a result, you can find unique variations of the dish in many countries.

Popular cabbage rolls include Kohlrouladen from Germany, Halupki from Russia, Sarmale from Romania, etc. Each one has different stuffings, ways of making, and side dishes and sauces that you can serve them with. 

Vegetables to Serve With Cabbage Rolls

Often, cabbage rolls come with vegetable and lentil fillings instead of meat. They go well with grilled, sauteed, and roasted vegetables as side dishes or garnishing.

If you have any leftover vegetables from preparing cabbage rolls or want to serve a side dish of vegetables with them, here are a few options that you can consider:

  1. Brussels sprouts
  2. Cucumber
  3. Onions
  4. Cauliflower 
  5. Broccoli
  6. Mushrooms
  7. Carrots
  8. Zucchini

You can grill or roast these veggies to serve them as side dishes. Moreover, you can also use them to make salads by combining them with grains, dressing, corns, herbs, etc.

What to Serve With Hungarian Cabbage Rolls?

Hungarian cabbage rolls or toltott kaposzta are made with sauerkraut or sweet cabbage leaves. They are stuffed with a mixture of minced pork meat, eggs, and rice.

You can also season Hungarian cabbage rolls with salt, pepper, and paprika and serve with sour cream. People often eat them during Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Some side dishes that you can serve with Hungarian cabbage rolls include:

Sour cream

If you require the perfect side dish for Hungarian cabbage rolls, go for sour cream. Traditionally, most people eat these cabbage rolls with sour cream due to the excellent explosion of flavors. 

Sour cream, with its rich texture and tart flavor, pairs wonderfully with Hungarian cabbage rolls. 

Mashed potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

For a carbohydrate-rich meal, try serving Hungarian cabbage rolls with mashed potatoes. As mentioned earlier, mashed potatoes are quite versatile and can blend well with any dish. 

Additionally, mashed potato requires the least effort and are a quick side dish to make!

Garlic bread

You cannot go wrong with garlic bread, owing to its mouth-watering taste and aroma.

So, if you don’t mind some extra calories, treat yourself to a perfect meal consisting of cabbage rolls and garlic bread!

Goulash 

You can serve cabbage rolls with Goulash, a traditional Hungarian soup, for an authentic Hungarian meal. 

It pairs amazingly well with cabbage rolls due to its rich flavor of meat and seasonings. Also, this side dish is great for a cold day!

Any roasted or grilled vegetables (such as broccoli, cauliflower)

Broccolini

Good old grilled and roasted veggies go well with cabbage rolls too! Therefore, if you are not in the mood for too much cooking, just go ahead with them. 

Other dishes

You can serve cabbage rolls with other dishes, like tomato soup and sauerkraut too. 

Related Questions

What are side dishes to go with cabbage?

Side dishes that go well with cabbage include roasted broccoli, other veggies, mushrooms, corn salad, sweet potatoes, bean salad, garlic bread, cornbread, mashed potatoes, etc.

What is a good sauce for cabbage rolls?

Some people eat cabbage rolls with ketchup. You can also serve them with teriyaki sauce, salsa, sweet and sour sauce, bean sauce, taco sauce, etc.

Some traditional variations of cabbage rolls are eaten with cream and yogurt.

What is a good dessert to serve with cabbage rolls?

Some good desserts to serve along cabbage rolls are pies, cakes, sweetened rye bread, or sweetened cornbread. You can serve ice cream, cookies, brownies, etc. if you prefer them.

You can also eat cabbage rolls with sweeter sauces like applesauce, sweet and sour sauce, etc.

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