We woke up one morning to an instant winter wonderland, although technically, it’s still fall. With a chill in the air, it was the perfect weather to heat up the kitchen with a nutritious, hearty meal of cabbage rolls.
Years ago, when we still lived in Aachen, I bought cabbage rolls from a local deli and loved them. Later, I searched for a recipe and couldn’t believe how easy they were to make. We often served them to visiting family and friends to share German cuisine.
I made a number of changes to the original recipe I found, but essentially, the dish consists of ground beef, cabbage leaves, tomato sauce, and rice. I’ve also made a vegetarian version, substituting the ground beef with seitan, which I processed in a food processor to mimic the texture of ground beef.
I use Wirsingkohl (Savoy cabbage), which is readily available in Germany during autumn and winter. Its wrinkly leaves separate into perfect sizes for rolling. During a recent visit back to Canada, I used green cabbage to make this dish, which also folds well after boiling. Mogly is happy to crunch away on the leftover leaves.
Other cabbage recipes you may also like to try are Layered Ground Beef Cheesy Pie with Rice Paper and Bobotie (sweet and curried ground beef casserole).
This is an ideal weeknight meal, as everything goes into one dish and bubbles away in the oven for 1 to 1 ½ hours, giving you time to exercise or sip wine.
Ingredients for the tomato sauce:
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 large onion, sliced (or 3 small)
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, 400 g (or use fresh tomatoes)
- 500 mL beef stock
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- Chopped parsley, QB (I like to use a lot)
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- Pepper, QB
Ingredients for the filling:
- 8 cabbage leaves
- 500 g ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- Pepper, QB
- 1 egg, beaten
- ⅓ cup basmati rice, rinsed
Instructions for the tomato sauce:
- Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Blanch each leaf separately in boiling water for a few minutes, until softened enough to roll. Let them drain while preparing the sauce.
- Melt butter in an oven-proof casserole dish (perfect for our Le Creuset). Add the sliced onion and sauté until glossy. Add a can of tomatoes, beef stock, chopped celery, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Blend everything together and simmer while you make the rolls.
Instructions for the rolls:
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, salt, pepper, beaten egg, and rice.
- Lay out the eight cabbage leaves on the counter. Add a large spoonful of the meat mixture to the centre of each leaf.
- Fold the leaf over the mixture and roll (see video).
- Place each roll in the casserole dish and cover them with the sauce (you may need to add more water – see tip below).
- Cover and bake in the oven for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Remove and serve in bowls.
Tips:
Reserve the water from the boiled cabbage leaves and add it to the dish during cooking if needed.
Double the recipe and freeze half for lunches or another weeknight meal. You should have enough leaves from one head of cabbage.
Hearty Cold-Weather Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Blanch each leaf separately in boiling water for a few minutes, until softened enough to roll. Let them drain while preparing the sauce.
- Melt butter in an oven-proof casserole dish (perfect for our Le Creuset). Add the sliced onion and sauté until glossy. Add a can of tomatoes, beef stock, chopped celery, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Blend everything together and simmer while you make the rolls.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, salt, pepper, beaten egg, and rice.
- Lay out the eight cabbage leaves on the counter. Add a large spoonful of the meat mixture to the centre of each leaf.
- Fold the leaf over the mixture and roll (see video).
- Place each roll in the casserole dish and cover them with the sauce (you may need to add more water – see tip below).
- Cover and bake in the oven for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Remove and serve in bowls.