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Stuffed Cabbage

17/11/2023

I will guide you through the preparation of a delicious and nutritious dish: stuffed cabbage. This recipe is a variation of the better-known cabbage rolls, often made with cabbage leaves stuffed and wrapped around the filling. For an Italian touch, we could use ingredients like ground meat, rice, and parmesan to enrich the flavor. Here’s how to do it.

Ingredients

  • 1 large green cabbage
  • 300 g of ground beef
  • 100 g of rice
  • 100 g of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 small chopped onion
  • 2 cloves of minced garlic
  • 500 ml of tomato puree
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Vegetable broth to taste

Preparation

  1. Start by blanching the cabbage: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and immerse the whole cabbage (after removing the tougher outer leaves) for about 5 minutes, then let it cool down.

  2. Meanwhile, cook the rice in plenty of salted water following the cooking times indicated on the package and drain it al dente.

  3. In a skillet, sauté the chopped onion and garlic with a drizzle of olive oil, then add the ground meat. Cook until the meat is no longer pink, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

  4. In a large bowl, mix the cooked ground meat with the rice, egg, and grated Parmesan cheese until you have a homogeneous mixture.

  5. Take the cooled cabbage and gently separate the leaves. Take the larger and sturdier leaves to use as a container for the filling.

  6. Place a portion of the filling on each cabbage leaf, then wrap the leaves closing the edges to seal the filling inside.

  7. Arrange the cabbage rolls in a large pot or in a baking dish.

  8. Pour the tomato puree over the cabbage rolls and add a bit of vegetable broth until halfway covering the rolls.

  9. Cover the pot or baking dish with a lid or aluminum and cook over medium-low heat for about 30-40 minutes. If you’re baking them, use a temperature of 180°C for the same amount of time.

  10. Remove the cover for the last 10 minutes of cooking to let the sauce thicken slightly.

Curiosity

Stuffed cabbage is a dish from the traditions of many Eastern European countries, but each region has its own version with small variations in the ingredients and cooking methods. For example, in Italy, especially in the north, it is sometimes customary to add crumbled sausage or minced mortadella to the filling to enrich the flavor of the filling.

I hope you can enjoy this comforting and tasty recipe!

Stuffed Cabbage