Thursday, March 21, 2013

Un-Stuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole

At this time of year, cabbage is cheap!  Ever wondered what to do with it?  I asked on Facebook and you had some great ideas.  Everything from tossing it into a stir fry to making runzas

I decided to use it in a recipe I pinned a long time ago

An un-stiffed cabbage roll casserole. 

It was delicious, and used an entire head of cabbage!  And, oh so much easier than rolling all those cabbage rolls. 

Leftovers are pretty great too.

Un-Stuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole – Adapted from Gina’s Skinny Recipes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1/2 lb. ground turkey
  • 2 T minced onion
  • 1 T minced garlic (fresh)
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 head green cabbage
  • 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice 
  • 4 oz. Monterrey Jack and/or Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • Salt & pepper, as needed

Directions

Begin by browning the ground beef and turkey together in a large skillet.  Add in 2 T minced onion and 1 T minced garlic.  Season with 1/2 tsp. paprika and salt and pepper.  Brown the meats until no longer pink and then drain any excess grease. 

Add in 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained, and 1 can tomato sauce.  Rinse the cans out with water (totaling about 1/4 C) and add the rinse water to the skillet. 

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, chop up the head of cabbage.  To do so, was the outside, then cut the head of cabbage in half.  Core carefully, and then rinse the cabbage again. 

Slice the cabbage into 1-2 inch pieces. 

Using a second, really large skillet, sauté the cabbage for 5-7 minutes, until partially cooked. 

Season with salt and pepper.  If you don’t have a big enough skillet, cook half the cabbage at a time. 

Transfer the half of the cabbage to the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 glass baking dish.  When you do so, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Now, add in the cooked 2 C of brown rice to your tomato dish simmering on the stove.  Heat until warmed. 

Layer half of the meat tomato mixture over the cabbage. 

Top that with remaining cabbage. 

Finish off the dish with the other half of the meat tomato sauce. 

Then, bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, covered.   I use a cookie sheet to cover my pan – saves tinfoil!

Remove the cover after 35-40 minutes and top the dish with shredded cheese. 

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Serve warm. 

Enjoy! 

17 comments:

  1. I only make egg rolls or use cabbage raw in salads/slaw. This sounds good! Pinning!

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  2. I grew up eating stuffed cabbage, and you're right...this recipe looks a lot easier than peeling off all those cabbage leaves and then rolling them up. I'm not so sure I could put cheese w/ my stuffed cabbages :) but I LOVE the idea of covering a pan with a cookie sheet - genius!

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  3. my family was quite wary, but wound up all eating it and the most vocal had seconds! that said, we declared it an acceptable way to eat cabbage yet still not a meal we particularly look forward to. thanks for helping us add variety to our diets though!!!

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  4. Bummer.....Isn't there a way to print a recipe of yours? I want to try the unstuffed cabbage roll casserole.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you look down in the footer of the post, you can find a "print friendly button"; using these directions you can easily print recipes from Finding Joy in My Kitchen:

      http://joyinmykitchen.blogspot.com/2012/09/kitchen-tip-printing-recipes.html

      Hope that helps!

      Delete
  5. Yum! Planning on making this next week for me and my hubby. I might divide this into 2 smaller dishes and freeze one for another time! We enjoy cabbage rolls from time to time, especially when cabbage is plentiful from the garden. This casserole will be so much easier than rolling up a bunch of rolls and still have a partial head of cabbage leftover! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Made this recipe for dinner & it was SUPER GOOD. Both my husband &
    I really liked it. Reminds me when my mom & grandmother made stuffed
    cabbage when I was a little girl. Thanks for this updated version. Will
    check out more of your recipes. Diana NJ 12/1/13

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  7. I have made this several times now, with a lb of hamburger only, instead of mix with turkey. And I have substituted both white and brown uncooked Minute Rice (1.5 cup). It is a big hit in my house.

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  8. We had this tonight. delisious. I changed 2 things. Used ragu instead of canned tomato sause and put cheese on top of both layers of tomato and meat sause. Looked just like your picture. It's definately a keeper. Thanks for sharing.

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  9. I made this tonight. Loved it! Only thing I did differently is add some brown sugar to cut the acid of the tomato sauce. I also used a 29 oz can of tomato sauce.....I don;t like diced. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. after cooking this casserole will the cabbage still be raw or does it cook in the casserole??? my son hates raw cabbage

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    Replies
    1. It cooks. You steam it first on the stove top and then it continues to cook while it bakes.

      Delete
  11. Made it twice and it tasted very good. My wife says this is already one of her favorite dishes of mine.

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  12. You need to add brown sugar and vinegar

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  13. Excellent recipe. Used 1 lb ground beef instead of the mix. The mix would actually be fine for next time. I used a little more sauce than you call for and a little more cheese! Results were wonderful. Will be making this on a regular basis! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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