The vegan cabbage rolls can be filled in a thousand ways thanks to the Savoy cabbage which is so tasty and versatile. As you might have guessed if you’ve been following me for a while, I love cabbage rolls in general and before I stopped eating animal products I made them in various ways, with meat or rice, etc. Wanting to find a tasty filling I thought of using potatoes and smoked tofu, and they are so good!
In fact, I have already tried to make this recipe in a vegan version, but it’s not yet on the blog: Cabbage and meat rolls, replacing the meat with soy mince and they are delicious. I will soon make them again and write all the steps. But this time I really wanted to use potatoes. And so instead of using boiled legumes, I thought that smoked tofu would fit well. And so it was!
These rolls, besides being a second course, also serve as a main dish as they contain both carbohydrates and proteins. I would still add a side of vegetables because you can never have enough of those! And they are 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: Cheap
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 8 rolls
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 8 leaves Savoy cabbage
- 400 g peeled potatoes (approximately 430 with skin)
- 200 g smoked tofu
- 1/2 onion
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (2 measuring teaspoons)
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast (2 measuring teaspoons)
- 1 bunch parsley
- Some leaves basil
- to taste nutmeg
- to taste spices
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- Total points = 16 WW points
- Points per 1 roll = 2 WW points
Tools
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Pot
- Baking dish
- Colander
- Tea towel
- Slotted spoon
- Potato masher
- Aluminum
Steps
We can cook the potatoes and the cabbage together so we save time, gas, and even washing two pots. Let’s see how…
First, detach 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 all very well.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Put 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 to cool on a clean tea towel. Repeat to blanch all the leaves.
When the potatoes are also soft, drain them and start preparing the filling.
Smoked tofu is available in all organic stores and even in many supermarkets. For example, I believe Lidl also sells it in Italy under the Vemondo brand. If it’s preserved in water, squeeze it lightly with your hands, as it will be crumbled anyway. There’s no need to press it like classic white tofu.
In a bowl, mash the potatoes together with a bit of salt and pepper, nutritional yeast, finely chopped half onion, nutmeg, chopped herbs, and spices to taste. Then add the crumbled smoked tofu and any cabbage trimmings cut into small pieces. Mash everything well with the potato masher. You can also use a mixer but blend intermittently to avoid making baby food…
Adjust the salt if necessary and when the ingredients are well combined, mash and divide into 8 more or less equal portions. Take a cabbage leaf, place a portion of filling inside, and close it by rolling and folding the edges inside.
You can cook them either in the oven or in an air fryer. In the air fryer, if it’s not large enough, you may 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 dish you will use for cooking.
Place the rolls in the dish and brush them with the second teaspoon of oil evenly. Cover the dish with a sheet of aluminum.
AIR FRYER COOKING
Place the dish in the basket and cook at 320°F (160°C) for 15 minutes. Then remove the aluminum and cook at 355°F (180°C) for another 5 minutes or until golden.
These are the right times for my Philips XXL air fryer. If yours is different, it might take a bit more time.
OVEN COOKING
Place the dish in a preheated oven at 390°F (200°C) for 20 minutes. Then remove the aluminum and continue at 355°F (180°C) for another 20 minutes or until golden.
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 that gives a flavor similar to scamorza. Okay, they don’t melt, that’s true, but they’re really good and also much lower in fat, as tofu is low in it.
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 vegan version. But this time it went well and we enjoyed them with pleasure! Try them yourself and then tell me 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 better if they rest a bit. So you could prepare them in advance already cooked and heat them when needed.
Surely you can prepare the entire dish the day before and then cook it 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 about ten minutes more covered with aluminum and the rest until golden.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is nutritional yeast?
In this recipe, you’ll also find nutritional yeast which is an inactive yeast rich in vitamin B12. It’s widely used in vegan cooking as it gives a cheesy flavor to dishes. To learn more, read here: Nutritional Yeast: What is it, How to use it, and Why! You can omit it but in that case, add spices to taste to give more flavor to these vegan cabbage rolls.
