Here’s a traditional and heartwarming Hungarian Layered Savoy Cabbage Casserole (Rakott Kelkáposzta) recipe 🇭🇺 — a true comfort food that brings together layers of cabbage, rice, and savory pork in creamy sour cream sauce.
🇭🇺 Rakott Kelkáposzta (Hungarian Layered Savoy Cabbage Casserole)
Ingredients
For the cabbage and rice:
- 1 medium Savoy cabbage, about 2–2.5 lbs (1–1.2 kg)
- 1 ½ cups white rice
- Salt, to taste
For the meat layer:
- 2 tbsp oil or lard
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb (450 g) ground pork (or a mix of pork and beef)
- 1 tsp paprika (Hungarian sweet)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Salt, to taste
- ½ tsp caraway seeds (optional but authentic)
For assembling:
- 1 cup sour cream (tejföl)
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp flour (optional, to thicken the sour cream layer)
- A little butter for greasing
- Breadcrumbs (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Prepare the cabbage:
- Remove the outer leaves, cut the cabbage into quarters, and remove the core.
- Boil the leaves in salted water for about 10–15 minutes, until just tender.
- Drain well and let cool, then roughly chop or separate the leaves.
- Cook the rice:
- Cook the rice in salted water until just tender but not mushy (about 10–12 minutes).
- Drain and set aside.
- Cook the meat:
- Heat the oil or lard in a large skillet.
- Sauté the onion until soft and golden.
- Add the minced garlic and paprika; stir quickly.
- Add the ground pork, season with salt, pepper, and caraway.
- Cook until the meat is browned and the liquid evaporates.
- Prepare sour cream mixture:
- In a bowl, mix the sour cream, egg, and flour (if using) until smooth.
- Assemble the casserole:
- Grease a baking dish with butter.
- Layer half of the cabbage on the bottom.
- Spread half of the rice over the cabbage.
- Spoon all of the meat mixture evenly over the rice.
- Add the remaining rice, then top with the rest of the cabbage.
- Pour the sour cream mixture evenly over the top.
- Optionally sprinkle breadcrumbs for a nice golden crust.
- Bake:
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C / 350°F for 35–40 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and bubbling.
- Serve:
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy with a dollop of extra sour cream on the side!
💡 Tips
- You can add a few chopped pickles or a bit of smoked sausage to the meat layer for a richer flavor.
- Traditionally served with fresh bread and pickled vegetables on the side.
Would you like me to give you a simplified one-pot version too (the kind Hungarian grandmas make for busy weekdays)?
