Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
When my brother and I were kids, we ate what our parents made for us. Whatever was in front of us, we had to eat it. There wasn’t a situation of “no, I don’t like it, I don’t want it”. We weren’t acting like spoiled brats and actually, it helped us to open up our minds and develop our taste buds for a wider variety of foods.
Although I wasn’t difficult (or couldn’t be difficult), there were a few dishes I really didn’t like and one of them was Stuffed Cabbage Rolls! I’m not sure how my mother made it but that meal wasn’t my cup of tea. Every fall, it was on the menu and each year, it was a painful moment for me. Interesting enough, David was the same when he was a child so when we moved in together, we decided to try making a better version than our parents… I’m glad we did!
I think most recipes out there lack flavor and the results are bland. The filling plays an important role in this dish and we made sure to amplify its taste. What did we do different than they did? Not much besides adding hot Italian sausage to the lean ground beef. Is the mild one an option? NO! We also added “seasoned” Panko breadcrumbs – again more flavor! Now we’re not too sure if our mothers used “Minute Rice” for the stuffing but we prefer using basmati.
Another important ingredient to enhance these Stuffed Cabbage Rolls is the tomato sauce. Plain is boring so we brought it up a little bit by using San Marzano tomatoes along with tomato paste, tomato sauce, onions and garlic. A surprising ingredient added to the sauce is balsamic vinegar – it gives some sweetness as well as acidity. When it comes to seasonings, there’s not an endless list… just some Italian seasoning, brown sugar to balance the sauce, some black pepper and parsley. As you see, it’s not a complicated sauce in terms of flavor but certainly much better than the plain ones…
This Stuffed Cabbage Rolls recipe makes about 14 rolls but depending on the size of the cabbage, you might make less or more as long as you use up all of the meat mixture. They’re a great comfort food and freeze well for up to 6 months.
Bon Appétit!
Here are more tasty comfort food recipes for you to try…
– Turkey à la King on Toast
– Swedish Meatballs
– Pepper & Sausage Casserole
– Meat Lasagna
– Coffee Beef Stew
– Fisherman’s Pie
– Quattro Formaggi Pizza – Four Cheese Pizza
and for even more comfort food recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Comfort Food
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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
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Ingredients
- 1 large head green cabbage (substitute Savoy), about 3 lbs. and cored removed
SAUCE
- 2 tbsp. olive oil tips & tricks
- 1 cup yellow onions, chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt, or to taste and divided
- 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste tips & tricks
- 1 can (28 oz.) San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 can (14 oz.) tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning see Recipe
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar, or more to taste
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped tips & trick
FILLING
- 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
- 1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage, casing removed see Recipe
- 1/2 cup yellow onions, finely chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, pressed
- 1/3 cup seasoned Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice such as basmati
- 2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, divided tips & tricks
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions
- Add the head of cabbage to a pot of boiling water, cover, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and season with some ground sea salt; sauté for about 3 minutes. Add pressed garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir to coat.
- Add crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and brown sugar. Stir until the ingredients are well combined and then taste and adjust if necessary just to check on the acidity; add more brown sugar if needed. Season with freshly ground black pepper and add parsley; stir well.
- Cover and turn the heat to medium-high. As soon as it starts bubbling, reduce to medium-low and let it simmer gently for 20 minutes; uncovered after a few minutes.
- After 10 minutes, carefully remove cabbage from the water and transfer to a baking sheet. Peel off the leaves using tongs and transfer them to another baking sheet lined with paper towel to absorb any excess water.
- To make the filling… In a large bowl, combine lean ground beef, hot Italian sausage, onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, uncooked rice, 1 ½ tablespoons chopped parsley, salt and black pepper.
- With clean hands, mix until the meat mixture is evenly distributed.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a large 5-quart baking dish lightly greased, spoon in about 1 ½ cups tomato sauce just enough to cover the bottom; set aside.
- Using a paring knife, remove the thick center stem from each leaf and place a good amount of meat mixture at the base forming it into an oblong shape. Take one side and fold it over before doing the same with the other side. Tuck in the sides and roll it up to the end.
- Place them in the prepared baking dish seam side down. Spoon the rest of the tomato sauce over the stuffed cabbage covering them. Sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese and cover the dish with foil.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until the meat and rice are cooked.
- We’ll remove from the heat and sprinkle on the remaining ½ tablespoon of chopped parsley before serving.
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