Core the cabbage and place it in a large pot.

Add enough water to fully cover the cabbage and bring it to a gentle simmer.

Simmer for 3–5 minutes until the outer leaves soften.

Remove the cabbage and let it cool in a colander. Keep the water in the pot.

Gently peel off the softened leaves and set them aside. Don’t force the leaves when they don’t come off easily. It is an indication that the cabbage has to go back to the boiling water.

Return the cabbage head to the simmering water.

Repeat steps 3–5 until you have about 12–15 large leaves. Stop once the remaining leaves are too small for stuffing.

Use a knife to trim the thick stem at the base of each leaf to make rolling easier.

Start by chopping the onion. Heat a suitable size pan over medium heat and add the oil. Then, toss in the chopped onion and reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow the onion to cook until it turns golden.

While the onions cook, prepare the rice to al dente stage.

Mix the cooked onions, rice, minced meat, salt, and black pepper to create a homogenous filling. Set it aside.

Heat another large and preferably deep pan over medium heat, add oil, and cook the chopped onions until they become translucent.

Add tomato paste and let it caramelize briefly for about 5 minutes. Then, add sour cream and the liquid. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Then simmer it for about 5 minutes.

Remove sauce from heat, and set aside.

Use one of the two methods described in the post to stuff and roll the cabbage leaves.

After rolling each cabbage roll, place it seam-side down on a cutting board, or start arranging them in the pot.

Keep going with the rest of the leaves and filling until all the cabbage rolls are ready.

(Optional) Place some leftover cabbage leaves at the bottom of a large pot to keep the rolls from scorching.

Arrange the cabbage rolls, seam-side down, in layers in the pot.

Pour the tomato - sour cream sauce over the rolls, then add enough liquid so the cabbage rolls are halfway covered.

Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for 50–60 minutes.

If you want to freeze the cabbage rolls, follow the instructions in the post. If not, continue straight to the serving step.

Serve with a generous ladle of sour cream-tomato cooking sauce, a dollop of sour cream and optionally garnish with dill. As with many stewed dishes, this dish tastes even better the next day, as the flavors meld together.