By Elizabeth Herman | Posted: August 28, 2019

Do you get tired of cool coleslaw and tangy sauerkraut? A hot, hearty vegetarian dish that will satisfy you and give cabbage a whole new identity, stuffed cabbage rolls are steamed, stuffed, and steamed or baked again in a luscious tomato sauce. You can find stuffed cabbage recipes from many different cultures, including the Middle East, Europe, Asia, etc. The stuffing usually contains a whole grain and legume, providing for your protein needs.

Ingredients

1 head of green or purple cabbage (or savoy cabbage)

Stuffing ingredients:

1/3 cup brown rice, uncooked

1/4 cup uncooked lentils

Half a bell pepper, finely chopped

Half a carrot, finely chopped

Half a celery stalk, finely chopped

Chopped cabbage

Salt and pepper to taste

½ teaspoon each of cumin, ginger, and ground coriander

Crushed or diced tomatoes

Directions

 

The cabbage leaves

Carefully cut off the core of the cabbage and place the whole head of cabbage in boiling water with a cover to steam for 1 minute. Pull it from the hot water, and submerge it in a pot of ice water, to shock the leaves and stop them from cooking too long and becoming mushy.

Carefully remove about 10 to 12 of the largest whole leaves from the outside of the cabbage. Once you have enough leaves big enough for stuffing and rolling, slice off a good chunk of cabbage from the remaining head and chop it finely. This chopped cabbage will be added to the stuffing later.

Before stuffing the leaves, slice off the excess from the center rib that comes from the core of the cabbage. Or, you can  remove the entire rib if you like. This will make the leaves flatter and more pliable, and therefore easier to roll. You can use these ribs to prop up the cabbage on the bottom surface where you cook them, to prevent burning from being too close to the heat.

The filling

To make the stuffing, cook the rice and lentils together with 2 cups of water in a rice cooker. Saute the vegetables and spices in oil, and add the rice and lentils to them. Mix well. Add in the steamed, chopped cabbage, and season the filling to taste.

Once the filling is well combined and seasoned, and you’re happy with it, you’ll be ready to roll the cabbage leaves. Place each leaf on a flat surface, and place a few heaping spoonfuls of stuffing in an elongated rectangle on top of the center of the leaf. Fold over the side flaps of the leaves so that you can roll the whole leaf into a cylindrical shape around the stuffing.

Baking the rolls

Place each roll, seam side facing down, into the baking pan on top of the cabbage ribs and some tomato sauce. Once all the cabbage rolls are in place, cover the pan and bake them at 325 for about 20-25 minutes, until steaming hot. Or steam them for the same amount of time, propped up on the ribs in a saucepan over low to medium low heat on the stove top, watching carefully to see that they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and cool, uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve them on a plate with tomato sauce from the pan spooned over the top.

Once you slice and bite into a cabbage roll, this humble vegetable will never seem the same again. Enjoy and happy eating!

Elizabeth Herman writes, offers writing support to clients, teaches, and volunteers for a better world. She has earned a Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Literature.