Cabbage Rolls

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Tender Cabbage Rolls filled with beef, rice, and herbs are baked in a savory tomato sauce - perfect for a cozy, comforting dinner.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine European

Keyword cabbage rolls

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 10

Resting Time 10

Total Time 1 40

Servings

Calories 469kcal

Author Aubrey

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup white rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 small yellow onion peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons salt
½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 ½ cups tomato basil pasta sauce divided (20 ounces)
1 head green cabbage
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Add the rice and 1 ½ cups of water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat with the lid. Turn the heat down to medium-low and put he lid on. Cook for 9-10 minutes until slightly underdone. Remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Fluff and set aside.
While the rice is resting, place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the ground beef, onion, and garlic, and cook until the beef is browned through, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
Stir in the salt and Italian seasoning and cook for another 30 seconds. Pour in 1/2 cup of tomato basil sauce, stir, and cook until warmed through. Turn off the heat and mix in the cooked rice. Set aside.
Pour 1/2 cup of tomato sauce into a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and spread it evenly over the bottom. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the entire head of cabbage and cook for 2 minutes. Carefully remove the cabbage (using a small strainer or tongs) and peel back one leaf at a time.
*If you get too much resistance, you can boil the cabbage for another minute at a time, as needed, as you peel the leaves off layer by layer, so they don't rip.
If any of the cabbage leaves have a too-big/tough stem, trim it slightly to make wrapping them around the filling easier. Place 1/2 cup of the beef and rice filling in the middle of each cabbage leaf. Fold the sides over the filling, then roll up the leaf like a burrito so that the outer seam easily covers the inner seam.
Place the cabbage roll seam side down in the baking dish and repeat with the remaining leaves. (see note) The baking dish should hold about 8 rolls with a little space between them. Pour the chicken stock into the baking dish and spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the rolls. Cover the baking dish with foil.
Bake for 60-70 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool fr about 10 minutes before uncovering the dish and serving.

Notes

The rice can be made ahead of time, or you can use leftover rice from dinner the night before to cut down on prep.
There will be extra cabbage that's par-cooked, and I usually have some extra filling (about 1 cup). You can chop up the cabbage and combine it with the filling to make a deconstructed cabbage roll for lunch the next day.

Nutrition