Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

ground meat

🥗Healthier: lean turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Turkey is lower in fat, while pork is often cheaper.

rice

🥗Healthier: quinoa

💰Cheaper: bulgur

Quinoa is more nutritious, while bulgur is budget-friendly.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove the core of the cabbage and blanch the cabbage in the boiling water until soft, about 10 minutes. Separate the leaves and set aside.

Make the sauce: in a large pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for 5 minutes, add crushed garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, salt pepper, oregano, vinegar and sugar. Stir and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Make the rolls: in a large bowl place ground beef, rice, chopped parsley, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, cumin and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce that we made earlier. Mix until well combined.

Lay each cabbage leaf on a flat surface, and using a small knife cut a V-shaped notch to remove the thick part of the cabbage rib. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of the filling into one end of each leaf, then roll up, tucking in the sides as you roll.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Arrange rolls seam side-down in a 9X13-inch (22X33cm) baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce on top of cabbage rolls, pour water/stock, then cover the dish with a lid or foil. Bake for 45-50 minutes, remove the lid/foil and bake for 15 minutes more.

Serve!

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: