Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage rolls are a fantastic winter classic that can be prepared in advance and will yield many portions for future meals. I tend to only make this dish once a year during the winter months as to this recipe makes 20 good sized rolls leaving my freezer stocked with all the extras. This is another make ahead meal that I tend to make on the weekend as it takes more time to prepare than an average weeknight meal. My rolls are jammed packed with vegetables, beef and rice, thinly rolled with savoy cabbage as the vessel holding all these wonderful ingredients in place. They are bathing in a simple tomato sauce and chicken stock mixture and garnished with fresh parsley. If you like cabbage rolls, give this recipe a try.

Note:  I have made this recipe with a mixture of ground pork and beef, but I find it a little lighter with extra lean ground beef. If you prefer to have pork in your cabbage rolls, just go for it!


Ingredients
Yield 20 cabbage rolls

1 head of Savoy cabbage
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion- finely diced
1 large carrot- finely diced
2 celery stalks- finely diced
2 cloves garlic- finely diced
1 cup of rice- I used whole wheat long grain
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups of no salt added chicken stock plus an additional 1cup
1 1/2 pounds of extra lean ground beef
1 egg
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 splash of worsheshire sauce
1 tsp chili flakes
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper as preferred
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 cups of tomato sauce
1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
3. Trim the stem of the cabbage slightly and add the whole Savoy cabbage to the boiling water. Boil for 5-7 minutes. As the cabbage heats up you can start pulling back the leaves gently with a pair of tongs. Place the individual cabbage leaves in a bowl of ice water once they peel away, to stop them from cooking further. Continue this method until 20 leaves are pulled away from the cabbage ball. Reserve inner cabbage leaves for future use.

4. Cut out the thick white stem from each leaf, making sure not to completely sever the cabbage. Set the leaves in a colander to drain. Finely dice the white stems that were removed from the cabbage leaves and set aside.
5. Heat a large non stick pan and add the olive oil.
6. Add the onions, carrots, celery and cabbage stems to the pan and sauté for 7 minutes on medium high heat until the ingredients start to soften and become slightly golden.
7. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for an additional 3 minutes.
8. Add the rice and toss until all the ingredients in the pan are well mixed.
9. De glaze the pan with the white wine.
10. Add the 2 cups of chicken stock to the pan and stir gently. Cover and cook until the rice is 75% cooked. It should be soft on the outside but crunchy in the middle. The rice will cook completely once the cabbage rolls bake in the oven. If you cook the rice 100% at this stage it will become mushy and overcooked once the cabbage rolls are baked.
11. Once the mixture is ready set aside to cool slightly.
12. In a large bowl,  mix the beef, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, worsheshire, mustard, chili flakes and salt and pepper.
13. Add the rice mixture to the raw beef mixture and fold the ingredients together until well incorporated.
14. In a large casserole dish, pour the tomato and 1 cup of chicken stock into the bottom and mix together. Once the cabbage rolls are rolled up place them on the liquid mixture.
15. Take each cabbage leaf and overlap it slightly where the stem was removed.

16. Add  roughly 3 tablespoons of filling to each leaf and roll up folding in the sides as you roll.
17. Place each roll into the casserole dish.
18. Once the rolls are all made and in the casserole dish, cover and bake for 35 minutes.
19. Garnish the cabbage rolls with freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!

Note: If I am serving this for company I garnish with a splash of good quality extra virgin olive oil and parsley.