Cabbage rolls are a true comfort dish stuffed with a variety of different flavors and textures from the rice to the meat and the soft cabbage leaves that hug them together, and they couldn't be any easier to make
1 1/2cupscooked long grain rice1/2 cup of uncooked rice will make 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice
1smallyellow oniondiced (1 cup)
1tspsalt
1/2tsppepperplus more for sauce, optional
3clovesgarlicminced
2tspItalian seasoningplus more for sauce, optional
1largeegg
15oztomato sauce1 can, divided
10.75 ozcondensed tomato soup1 can
chopped parsleyfor garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
You will need to soften the cabbage leaves in order to make them more pliable for rolling. You can boil or steam the cabbage leaves. I find it easiest to gently remove the leaves from the head of cabbage and place them in a large bowl with about an inch of water at the bottom. Microwave for 2-3 minutes at a time until cabbage leaves are wilted. Drain water from bowl.
In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, sausage, cooked rice, onion, salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, egg, and 1⁄2 cup of the tomato sauce. Use gloved hands to thoroughly combine all of the ingredients.
In another bowl, whisk together the remaining tomato sauce, tomato soup, and an additional pinch of Italian seasoning and pepper, if desired.
Place about 1⁄2 cup of this sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.
Lay one cabbage leaf in front of you and place a large scoop (about 1⁄3 cup) of the meat/rice mixture in the center. Fold the stem side and top side of the cabbage leaf toward each other and then roll up the cabbage leaf sides like a burrito to form a little packet.
Place each cabbage packet in the prepared casserole dish.
Continue filling and rolling cabbage leaves until the meat mixture is used up and the casserole dish is full. (I made 9 large cabbage rolls.)
Pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the top of the cabbage rolls.
Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature of the cabbage rolls reach 145°F.
Remove aluminum foil and baste the cabbage rolls with the sauce. Bake an additional 10 minutes, uncovered, to thicken the sauce a bit.
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
The meat mixture can be varied - you can substitute ground turkey for the ground beef or sausage. Hot Italian sausage would also be a flavorful substitution.
The tomato soup addition to the tomato sauce adds a little sweetness to the sauce and helps to cut the acidity down a bit. You can add additional herbs and spices to the tomato sauce if desired. However, do not add more salt - the tomato soup has enough already.
Some recipes pre-cook the meat. The meat cooks up completely in the oven. We did pre-cook the rice to ensure it cooks fully and is tender in the cabbage rolls.
To freeze - begin by flash freezing uncooked rolls on a baking sheet or in a baking dish until they are firm enough to hold together on their own. Once frozen, transfer them to a large ziptop bag and freeze for up to 5 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, removing them from the refrigerator while the oven preheats. Follow recipe instructions for bake time, adding a few minutes to the cook time if needed.