Cabbage Rolls or Stuffed Cabbage

Posted byNoriePosted inbeef, Recipe, Vegetables

Also Unrolled Cabbage Rolls (Below)

Filling:

  • ½ lb. lean ground Beef (chuck) and
  • ½ lb. ground pork
  • Or just 1 lb. ground chuck
  • 12 outer leaves of a medium size cabbage head
  • ½ of an 8 oz. tomato sauce (1/2 cup)
  • ½ tsp. salt or to taste
  • ½ of a medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced fine
  • 2 TBS. chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • Or 1 TBS. dried parsley flakes
  • 2 tsp. snipped or minced fresh dill (optional)
  • 1 TBS. minced fresh sweet basil
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper or ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • 1 cup cooked white rice

Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1-14-1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • ½ of the 8-oz. tomato sauce
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. sugar

Procedure:

To separate the cabbage leaves easily without tearing, either boil the head for a few minutes until the outer leaves are soft or freeze the cabbage head and thaw when ready to make the dish. After boiling, drain and let it cool to handle without scalding your hands.  If frozen and then thawed, it is easier to separate because the leaves are limp all the way to the inside.

Cut the leaf at the core one layer at a time and peel off one leaf at a time being careful not to tear it until you have 12 good ones. 

In a medium bowl, add all the filling ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Cut off the hard stem at the bottom in a V to make rolling easier but do not cut off too much or you may not have enough to cover the filling completely.

Place one cabbage leaf on a plate or cutting board.  Place about ¼ cup of the meat.  Roll the leaf over the meat and fold in the sides and roll it up.  It’s like making an egg roll or a burrito.  Place it in a baking pan, preferably a glass pan, seams side down.  Repeat until all are rolled and placed in one layer in the baking dish. 

Mix the sauce ingredients and pour it over the cabbage rolls, spreading it evenly on the top.  Cover tightly with an aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 1 to 1 ½ hours. 

If you like cabbage, you can slice the rest of the cabbage and spread them in the baking dish before arranging the rolled up cabbage over them.

I have the herbs in my garden and thought I would use them.  You can omit them or add more to your liking.  I thought the basil added a nice flavor to it.  I did not taste the dill but I surely tasted the parsley.  

My husband is not fond of any ground meat filled dishes and dislikes stuffed pepper and the like.  It had been many years since I made this but I had a hankering for it.  To my surprise he had a second helping and more. He asked me to cook it again soon. 

Unrolled Cabbage Rolls

If you don’t feel like messing with the cabbage leaves and rolling them like burritos or egg rolls, you can spread pieces of the cabbage leaves on a pan and cook it like a casserole. 

Because laziness strikes me occasionally, I invented this method (or so I thought it was my original) of cooking this.

  • Line the bottom of an oven proof dish with roughly torn pieces of cabbage leaves.
  • Spread the meat mixture on top of them then
  • Cover the meat with more pieces of cabbage leaves.
  • Pour the sauce on top of the cabbage
  • Cover with aluminum foil
  • Bake at 350°F for 1 to 1 ½ hours

It is actually faster and it tastes exactly the same as the rolled ones.  I called it Unrolled Cabbage Rolls.

And if I am really feeling lazy, I even use the store-bought Marinara or spaghetti sauce instead of cooking my own sauce. 

I always make a big batch of this and end up having leftovers. My husband didn’t want to have it again the next day so I came up with a solution to avoid waste. I made spaghetti the next day and incorporated the leftover meat with the spaghetti sauce and he licked his plate.

Here’s what I did:

  • 1 jar Spaghetti sauce, any brand (I used Classico Tomato and Basil) or what you like
  • About 4 TBSP. minced onion
  • 2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 very small zucchini, diced small (optional)

Remove the cabbage from the leftover cabbage roll and set the meat and the tomatoes aside. Heat 1 TBSP. vegetable oil or Olive oil in a skillet then add the onions. Stir for a few seconds until they are soft, add the garlic and the zucchini. Stir for a minute then add the meat and the spaghetti sauce. Break the meat apart and simmer until heated through. Taste and add salt if needed. You can also add some pepper flakes if you like.

Add to the cooked spaghetti noodles and enjoy.