Cabbage Rolls

Here's the cabbage roll recipe from yesterday,


Cabbage Rolls:

• 1 head cabbage
• 1 lb lean gound beef
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• tomato sauce (I used Ragu)
  

The most difficult thing about this recipe was getting the the cabbage leaves without tearing them to pieces. After much frustration on my part - and the biggest leaves torn to ruins - hubby suggested blanching the whole head of cabbage before removing the leafs, instead of blanching the leaves afterwards (as all the recipes I'd seen had indicated).

Once you've got your leaves blanched and separated, cut the very thick part of the stem out. You can do so by cutting a little slit a few inches up each side of the stem, forming a very skinny triangle. Otherwise, if you don't remove the stem, the cabbage won't roll.


Preheat the oven to 350F.

While your cabbage cools, brown the ground beef. Once it's fully ground, season to taste. I used Chachere's. You can use season salt, salt and pepper, or whatever floats your boat. Add the veggies and cook until they have softened. My bell pepper bits were a bit too firm. You aren't going to bake the rolls long in the oven, so keep that in mind when deciding the doneness of your veggies. Once it's cooked to your satisfaction, stir in the rice until well combined.

Lay a cabbage leaf down. Spoon some of the mixture into the center, and fold the edges up around it. You'll make a triangle of sorts. Repeat.

You can place these on a baking dish or a baking sheet. Spread tomato sauce over the top of the rolls. Bake about 10 minutes.