Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls make a delicious, classic autumn supper without the trouble of rolling up the cabbage.

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

Traditionally, cabbage rolls are made by wrapping a beef and rice mixture into large cabbage leaves and baking those in liquid until tender. I have quite the fondness for them. But unless I can find a really large cabbage, they can be a bit of a pain to make, since the leaves get smaller and smaller as you go in, and by the time they are a bit unusable, you might still find yourself with a bit of filling. Of course, you might go with two cabbages, but then you have to find a use for the hearts of cabbage, and by the time you are done eating all the cabbage rolls, one might not be in the mood for more cruciferous veggies right away.

This recipe bypasses all that, and is a bit easier to make, since you essentially shave up the cabbage as you would for making cole slaw, then stirring it with the other ingredients and placing in a casserole. The taste is quite right for me and you’ll notice that I added sauerkraut, which is the way I prefer my cabbage rolls- with a tiny bit of tart from the kraut.

This still makes a big pan for the two of us, although the leftovers are well received rewarmed. However, for the rewarm, you might probably want to season up an extra can of tomato sauce with a little onion powder, garlic, salt and pepper and spoon it over. This is because the rice in this is going to absorb more of the liquid as the leftovers keep, and you’ll want something tasty to loosen it up with. The way it is shown in the photos is the way it comes out of the oven, and is quite moist and saucy at that point. so no extra sauce for the first round. Of course, if you have a crowd to feed, there aren’t going to be any leftovers, but some of us are empty nesters now.

To serve this, I’d probably like some applesauce or fried apples, and a side salad. Serve it with something like a Gewürztraminer wine or just good old fashioned ice tea. Either way, I hope you enjoy. Until next time-

~Sue

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Servings: 8
Time: 1hr 30mins
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and black pepper
1-1/4 pounds fresh green cabbage, shredded
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon caraway seed
28 ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid
24 ounce jar Bavarian sauerkraut with brine
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup raw long grain rice

Method:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Brown beef, onion, garlic salt and pepper in a Dutch oven on the stove top and drain any fat.
Add cabbage and cook, stirring until cabbage wilts.
Stir in remaining ingredients, transfer to a large casserole, cover, and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven, stir again, recover, and bake another 30-45 minutes or until rice is tender.

From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com