Vegan cabbage rolls can be stuffed in a thousand ways thanks to the Savoy cabbage which is so flavorful and versatile. As you’ve probably learned if you’ve been following me for a long time, I love cabbage rolls in general and before I stopped eating animal products, I made them in different ways, with meat or rice, etc. Wanting to find a tasty filling, I thought of using potatoes and smoked tofu, and they’re so good!
Indeed, I’ve already tried making this recipe in a vegan version, but it’s not on the blog yet: Cabbage Rolls with Meat, replacing the meat with soy mince and they come out delicious. I will soon make them again and write down all the steps. But this time I really wanted to use potatoes. So instead of using boiled legumes, I thought smoked tofu would fit well. And it did!
These rolls not only serve as a main course but also as a one-dish meal since they contain both carbohydrates and proteins. I would still add a vegetable side dish because there can never be enough of those! And they’re very light: only 2 Weight Watchers ProPoints per roll. The preparation is very simple: let’s see how to make them…
Some other recipes that might interest you can be found here:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 8 rolls
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 8 leaves Savoy cabbage
- 14.1 oz peeled potatoes (about 15.2 oz with skin)
- 7.1 oz smoked tofu
- 1/2 onion
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (2 teaspoons)
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast (2 teaspoons)
- 1 bunch parsley
- A few leaves basil
- to taste nutmeg
- to taste spices
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- Total points = 16 WW points
- Points per roll = 2 WW points
Tools
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Pot
- Baking tray
- Colander
- Towel
- Slotted spoon
- Potato masher
- Aluminum foil
Steps
We can cook the potatoes and cabbage together to save time, gas, and also from having to wash two pots. Let’s see how…
First, remove 8 intact leaves from the cabbage. If any piece breaks, save it for the filling. Remove the harder part of the central rib from each leaf and wash them thoroughly.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Place them in a large pot with lightly salted cold water. When the water starts to boil, add 2 cabbage leaves.
With a slotted spoon, keep the leaves submerged in water for about 3 or 4 minutes. Then drain them and place them on a clean towel to cool. Repeat to blanch all the leaves.
When the potatoes are also soft, drain them and start preparing the filling.
Smoked tofu can be found in all bio stores and also in many supermarkets. For example, I believe Lidl also sells it in Italy under the Vemondo brand. If it is stored in water, squeeze it lightly with your hands, as it will be crumbled. There’s no need to press it like classic white tofu.
In a bowl, mash the potatoes with some salt and pepper, nutritional yeast, finely chopped half onion, nutmeg, chopped herbs, and spices to taste. Then add the crumbled smoked tofu and any small pieces of chopped cabbage. Mash everything well, always with the potato masher. You can also use a mixer but blend intermittently to avoid making a puree…
Adjust salt if necessary, and when the ingredients are well combined, divide into 8 more or less equal portions. Take a cabbage leaf, place one portion of the filling inside, and close it by rolling it and folding the edges in.
You can cook them either in an oven or an air fryer. In an air fryer, if it’s not large enough, you might need to do it in two batches.
Once all the rolls are ready, use 1 teaspoon of oil to oil the bottom of the baking tray you’ll use for cooking.
Place the rolls in the tray and brush them with the second teaspoon of oil evenly. Cover the tray with aluminum foil.
AIR FRYER COOKING
Place the tray in the basket and cook at 320°F for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and cook at 355°F for another 5 minutes or until golden brown.
These times are right for my air fryer, which is a Philips XXL. If yours is different, it may take a little longer.
OVEN COOKING
Place the tray in a preheated oven at 390°F for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue at 355°F for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Here are our vegan cabbage rolls with potatoes and smoked tofu ready.
They turned out really delicious. Tender and tasty thanks to the smoked tofu which gives a bit of a smoked cheese flavor. Okay, they don’t melt, that’s true, but they’re really good and also much less fatty, as tofu is low in fat.
These vegan cabbage rolls were approved here at home. Since I stopped eating animal products, it’s always a nice challenge to propose the recipes I used to make in their vegan version. But even this time it went well and we enjoyed them! Try them too and let me know if you liked them below or in my Facebook Club.
Enjoy your meal!
By Giovanna Buono
Preparation and Storage
As usual with many dishes, these rolls are tastier if they rest a bit. So you could prepare them in advance already cooked and reheat them when needed.
You can definitely prepare the entire tray the day before and then cook the next day. I did it and they turned out excellent.
I haven’t tried freezing them, but I believe that once cooked, they can be frozen in a container and then cooked directly from frozen for an extra ten minutes covered with aluminum foil and the rest until golden brown.
FAQ
What is nutritional yeast?
This recipe includes nutritional yeast, which is a deactivated yeast rich in vitamin B12. It is widely used in vegan cooking as it imparts a cheesy flavor to dishes. To learn more, read here: Nutritional Yeast: what it is, how to use it, and why! You can omit it, but in that case, add some spices to taste to give more flavor to these vegan cabbage rolls.
