Cabbage Rolls

53 Reviews
91% would make this recipe again

A dish consisting of ground beef and rice wrapped in green cabbage leaves, with a tomato sauce.

This traditional Canadian recipe requires time and patience to fill and roll each cabbage leaf individually. As an alternative, a modern and simplified version suggests to alternate layers of meat with layers of chopped cabbage. The resulting dish will be less elegant, but equally good, cutting down at least 30 minutes of the preparation time mentioned here.

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Preparation : 1 h Cooking : 1 h 30 min Cooking Dish : 22 x 32 cm
310 calories/serving

Ingredients

1 green cabbage, or Savoy 1 kg
paper towels
1 tsp butter, unsalted 5 g
1 tbsp olive oil 15 mL
1 onions, finely chopped 200 g
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup rice, long grain, uncooked 90 g
1/2 cup canned tomatoes (diced) 130 g
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1 g
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1 g
1 tsp dried oregano 1 g
1 tsp dried savory 1 g
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed 1/2 lemon
500 g ground beef, lean
2 slices bacon, chopped 40 g
1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g
ground pepper to taste [optional]
1 cup tomato juice 250 mL
aluminum foil

Method

  1. Using a paring knife, remove the centre core of the cabbage. In a large stockpot, bring salted water to a boil. Add the cabbage and cook until the outer leaves are tender, 2-3 min. Lift the cabbage from the water, then remove and set aside the softened outer leaves. When the undercooked inner leaves become difficult to remove, return the cabbage to the pot. Repeat the brief cooking and removal of leaves until enough leaves are cooked (you will need 3 leaves/serving, plus some larger leaves to line the bottom of the baking dish).
  2. Drain the leaves well, then pat them dry with paper towels. Trim the thick centre vein from the bottom of each leaf. (As an alternative, you can also microwave the cabbage to soften the leaves: Place the cabbage in a bowl with about 2 tbsp of water, cover, then microwave on 'High' for about 12 minutes, depending on the power of the microwave and size of the cabbage head).
  3. Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F. Butter a baking dish, then line the bottom with a few of the larger cabbage leaves.
  4. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, then sauté 2-3 min until softened. Add the rice then cook, with stirring, until golden, about 3 min. Stir in the tomatoes, spices, herbs and lemon juice. Mix well, then add the meat and chopped bacon. Sauté over high heat, with stirring, until the meat has lost its pink colour, 7-8 min. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Place 3 tablespoons of the mixture into the centre of each reserved cabbage leaf. Fold the sides over the filling, then roll the leaf up tightly. Arrange the rolls with the seam side down in the cabbage lined baking dish. Pour the tomato juice over the rolls, then cover with aluminum foil.
  6. Bake in the middle of the oven until very tender, about 1 h 30 min. Serve.

Observations

You can bake the cabbage rolls ahead of time, cool, then cover them with plastic wrap and overwrap with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Refrigerate them for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, thaw them in refrigerator for 24 hours and reheat, covered, in a 175°C/350°F oven for 1 hour or until they are heated through.

Nutrition Facts Table

per 1 serving (340 g)

Amount

% Daily Value

Calories

310

Fat

13 g

20 %

Saturated 4.8 g
+ Trans 0 g

24 %

Cholesterol

50 mg

Sodium

270 mg

11 %

Carbohydrate

26 g

9 %

Fibre

5 g

22 %

Sugars

6 g

Net Carbs

21 g

Protein

23 g

Vitamin A

54 %

Vitamin C

86 %

Calcium

8 %

Iron

21 %
More info

DIABETES Exchange

1 serving of this recipe is equivalent to :
Food Group Exchanges
Starches ½
Fruits 0
Vegetables 1
Meat and Alternatives 2
Fats 2 ½
More info
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Reviews

53 Reviews (53 with rating only) 91% would make this recipe again

My Notes

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This space is reserved for your personal notes on the recipe. These notes are private and will only be visible to you. Here's an example of what these notes could say for a given recipe:

  • I replaced oregano by rosemary and it turned out great
  • use my large pan with the copper bottom
  • leave under the grill 3 minutes instead of 1 to get a golden crust

This recipe is in the following categories

Beef | Vegetables | Main courses/Entrées | High Iron | Bake | Canadian

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