Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls

Ah, the humble cabbage. Bless it’s heart.  

Seriously tho, cabbage rolls show up all over the place.  Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, you name it, and is a practical way to stretch ingredients.  I believe that all true comfort foods arise out of need – with ingredients passing across borders and recipes passing generations.

A true cabbage roll does quite a bit of prep.  But this deconstructed version will give you all the flavor without the blanching, draining, rolling, stuffing and cooking the traditional method requires. If you take the concept, and apply your grandmother’s spices, you’ll hit a home run.

Here’s What you Need:

1 lb ground beef (or turkey)

1 Head Green Cabbage finely chopped (or 2 bags coleslaw mix)

1 onion, diced

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs tomato paste

1 16 oz can tomato puree or crushed

2 cups cooked rice

1 tbs brown sugar

2 tbs apple cider vinegar

2 tbs Italian Seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

Crushed red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

Here is what you do:

In a large dutch oven, brown beef.  Add onion and sautee until soft.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes (optional).  Add tomato paste and stir to coat meat and onion mixture - cook 1 to 2 minutes careful not to burn.  Add crushed/puree tomatoes.  Add brown sugar, apple cider vinegar.

Stir in chopped cabbage.  Cook until softened (about 30 -40 minutes).  Add rice and heat through.

Serve.  May garnish with Parmesan cheese. 

NOTES:

Personally, I think folks tend to want to cook cabbage a bit too long when it comes to this and fried cabbage.  I need/want it to have a tooth to it, but not crunchy.  I think this can be accomplished in under an hour of “wilt” time.  Taste as you go, and you do you.

Sorry, but I have to scream about this rice:  https://amzn.to/4jomckc

I’ve seen recipes that incorporate citrus (lemons), spices like cinnamon, allspice, and clove.  Instead of brown sugar, you may see honey or raisins to bring the sweetness, which frankly, I think is needed.  Just experiment or do what your MeMaw did.

This will carry over in the refrigerator, so it is good for meal prep over the course of a few days.  Unless you cook your cabbage for forty years.  I wouldn’t suggest freezing it, but I’ve never tried it.  Honestly, why would you?

This reheats in the microwave well.

Meat Choice:  In the video I used ground turkey.  If you’ve used ground turkey or chicken before you know how that can be a bit bland, so I demonstrate how you can add flavor to it.  Ground beef or pork would be beautiful, or a good ground sausage. 

It’s cheap, easy, and makes a ton of food.  Just like good comfort food is supposed to be and do.

Cheers!