Golabki (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

Step 1
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place cabbage head into the pot, cover, and cook until leaves are softened enough to remove from the head, about 3 minutes. Remove cabbage from the pot and let sit until leaves are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

Step 2
Remove 18 whole leaves from the cabbage head, cutting out any thick tough center ribs. Set whole leaves aside. Chop the remaining cabbage and spread it in the bottom of a casserole dish.

Step 3
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saut? until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, about 5 minutes.

Step 4
Combine beef, pork, cooked rice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add onion and mix until well combined.

Step 5
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 6
Place about 1/2 cup beef mixture onto a cabbage leaf. Roll the leaf around beef mixture, tucking in the sides to create an envelope around the meat. Repeat to make remaining cabbage rolls. Place cabbage rolls in a layer over chopped cabbage in the casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 7
Whisk condensed soup, tomato juice, and ketchup together in a bowl; pour over cabbage rolls and cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.

Step 8
Bake in the preheated oven until cabbage is tender and meat is cooked through, about 1 hour. Uncover for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).