Stuffed Cabbage

This is a blast from my childhood. My Mom would make this once in a while and it was something the whole family enjoyed. I haven't made it in years. I had a "lazy" version that I'd make that always turned out really good but Ken doesn't like cabbage so I thought this would be perfect, he could just discard the cabbage and eat the meat. He was nervous going in, I scooped out two and put them on his plate. He went back for a third AND he ate the cabbage. He said "this tastes NOTHING like I imagined it would, its really good" Coming from a cabbage hater, I took that as an accomplishment. Yes there are a few steps to this process but its worth it!

My sister wanted to "help" so its her hands you see in the photos.

The Ingredients:

Stuffed Cabbage    

1 yellow onion
3T  Smart Balance  

1 large green cabbage

Meat Mixture 

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 pound ground turkey sausage
½  cup raw white long grain rice or barley
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 t garlic
1/2 t paprika
(plus onions and Smart Balance once they're sauteed)

Sauce Mixture 

8 ounces tomato sauce
1 can crushed tomatoes (28oz)
1 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 t garlic
1/2 t onion powder
2 teaspoons sugar

You'll need a dutch oven, oven proof pan with tight fitting lid or a large crock pot. Ready to get started? If you're using the oven, preheat it to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine your tomatoes and tomato sauce and spices, set aside


Next we're going to prep the meat.

3 Tablespoons Smart Balance (heart smart buttery spread) and onions in to sautee until they just start to soften. I realized after that I should have chopped them a bit smaller but, it all worked out in the end. They are going into the meat mixture so you want to start them first so they have a chance to cool.

You can use any combination of meat you like. I used part turkey sausage, plain ground turkey or ground beef would be fine to use too. If I used plain ground turkey, I would chop up a few slices of turkey bacon and throw them in with the onions to sautee. It will add a smokey flavor.  Here the meat, barley (not quick cook barley) egg, spices and Worcestershire sauce are all ready to be combined. Go ahead and gently mix this up. You don't want to over work the meat.

Once the onions cool, add them, along with the melted smart balance to the meat mixture, keep in mind we're making 10 stuffed cabbage so go ahead and score the meat into a pie with 10 pieces to be a guide line. Put the meat mixture in the fridge to stay chilled while we prep the cabbage.

Put a large deep pot of water on and bring up to a simmer (almost ready to boil but not quite boiling) Using a small paring knife, carefully cut around the core to remove, once you've removed it, cut out any excess core that remains. You want the leaves to stay intact so don't cut too deep.

Drop the whole head of cabbage into the water and watch. About every 45 seconds, a leaf or two will start to separate from the head. Using tongs, carefully and gently remove the leaf and place it in a colander to cool. This is an important process because it makes the leaves soft enough to roll. You need 10 good leaves so once you have 12, you can turn the water off and remove the remainder of the head and set aside to cool. Its good to have a few spare leaves just in case you rip one. Don't worry, its all going to be used.

Next you want to turn the leaf as pictured and use your knife to remove some of the hard rib ridge. Don't cut through to the other side, just cut it off and set it aside.

Once you've prepped all of your leaves, you're ready to roll. Place the leaf on your work surface, add 1/10 of the meat mixture and form into a little log as shown above.

Next roll it up partially

Fold in the sides. 

IMPORTANT: Don't roll them too tightly, the barley or rice will expand as you cook and if you roll them too tightly, they will burst the cabbage.

And finish the roll. Repeat this process until you have all 10 rolls ready. Just put them seam side down so they don't unroll. 

Next chop up any remaining leaves and the rest of the head of cabbage. Layer 1/3 to 1/2 of it in the bottom of your dutch oven, oven proof pan or crock pot. Carefully pour about 1/2 cup of sauce over top of the leaves. 

Next start adding your cabbage rolls. You'll probably make two layers.

Once you have the first layer down, go ahead and use some of the extra cabbbage to fill in the holes, the idea is to keep the rolls secure as they cook and keep them away from directly touching the edges so they don't burn. Spoon more sauce over this layer and add your second layer of rolls and extra cabbage leaves.

Top with the remainder of the sauce. Now you'll add water, 1 cup at a time until the rolls are almost completely covered. This is why its important that you use a pot that is neither too big or too small, you don't want the rolls floating around. You want to braise them in the liquid. If cooking in the oven, check after 1 hour and add more water if necessary.

I cooked mine in a crock pot. 4 hours on high, 2 hours on low. You could cook them for 8 to 10 hours on low if desired. Half way through you want to check the sauce level and see if it needs more water. Don't worry about watering down the sauce, the extra water will evaporate and the sauce will slightly thicken.

Here are two on the plate ready for a side of steamed zucchini or whatever veggies you like. When I was growing up, my Mom always served these with a side of mashed potatoes. That was quite tasty too so if you can fit it in your dietary budget, go for it.

And here is what it looks like once you cut it open.




Now for the nutritional breakdown...

Per roll, based on using barley.

Calories: 139
Fat 3.4g
Cholesterol 22mg
Sodium: 146 mg
Potassium: 283mg
Total Carbs: 13g
Fiber 3.3g
Protein: 15g


Enjoy!


NOTE: Save any leftover sauce and cabbage and put it in the freezer, we're using it in next week's soup!