stuffed cabbage rolls
this meal is definitely a labor of lloovvee. it takes a bit to complete all the steps and sit down to some tender and delicious cabbage rolls but you have to trust me, it is worth the wait! i choose turkey meat for these rolls simply because it was all i had on hand. my hubby loves hamburger meat and it is usually all we eat. anyway, i looked in the freezer and there was none there. but there was some ground turkey! i hubby gobbled it up like it his favorite meat. and so did the kids. this is hands down one of my favorite recipes.
ingredients:
- 1 large head of cabbage -
- - tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil -
- 1/2 onion - chopped
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 celery stalks - chopped
- 1 carrot - chopped
- 1 (32 ounce) can crushed tomatoes -
- 1 bay leaf -
- - cabbage roll filling
- 2 lbs ground turkey meat -
- 1/2 onion - chopped fine
- 4 garlic cloves - minced
- 2 wheat bread slices - pulsed to crumbs
- 1/2 cup rice -
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese -
- 1 egg - lightly beaten
instructions:
- preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- bring a large pot of water to a boil. salt the water. gently place the entire head of cabbage into the water and gently lift the leaves off the cabbage as the loosen up. repeat the process until you have around 15 leaves. allow the leaves to cool.
- meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat. add the onions, garlic and carrots. season with salt/pepper to taste. saute for a few minutes until tender. add in the crushed tomatoes and bay leaf. reduce the sauce to a simmer and allow to cook until thickened slightly, about 30 minutes. taste, season accordingly. once the sauce is done, spoon some of the sauce into the bottom of a dutch oven. set aside.
- meanwhile, add the filling ingredients to a bowl with salt/pepper to taste. add about 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce to the meat mixture as well. combine with a fork until combined.
- when the leaves are cool enough to handle, lay each cabbage leaf on a flat surface. add about 1/3 cup of the filling to end of the cabbage leaf. fold in the sides and roll up. place the rolls on top of the marinara sauce, seam side down in the dutch oven. repeat with remaining cabbage leaves and top with remaining sauce. cover the dutch oven and place in the preheated oven for an hour until the meat is cooked and the rice is tender.
