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! 

Turkey & Cabbage Buns with Cheese (Runzas)

Do you have leftover cabbage?  We enjoy cabbage, but don’t eat a whole lot of it – other than at St. Patrick’s Day.  Thus, we have a half-head of cabbage to use up & I’m guessing some of you do too. 

These turkey and cabbage buns with cheese are delicious.  The recipe comes from Cook’s Illustrated and are often called Runzas or Bierocks.  They are a savory dough filled with meat, cheese and cabbage.  A pasty comes in similar form, but it often has potato inside.  These runzas can be traced to Russian and German heritage, but are most popular in the central US – Nebraska & Kansas especially. 

In scanning the original recipe, there were a number of changes I decided to make.  First, I used ground turkey rather than beef.  Next, I omitted the butter used to cook the meat – no reason to add anything when the turkey will create its own grease.  Third, I reduced the oil and omitted the added sugar to the dough.  Then, I spiced up the filling a bit – using more than just cabbage and ground turkey.  We LOVED the results. 

Turkey and Cabbage Buns with Cheese (Runzas) – Adapted from Cook’s Country

Ingredients

• 3/4 C warm water (at least 110 degrees)
• 1/2 C sweetened condensed milk
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 C white whole wheat flour
• 4 tsp. yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 lb. lean ground turkey
• 4 C chopped cabbage
• 1 large onion, chopped (or 2 T minced onion)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 T tomato paste
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 4 oz. cheddar cheese, sliced (or shredded)

Directions

Begin by mixing together the 4 tsp. yeast, 1 tsp. salt and a total of 3 C of flour into the bowl of your mixer.  If you don’t have a mixer, place these ingredients in a large bowl.  I used 1 1/2 C white whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour – but feel free to use any combination of whole wheat flours and/or all purpose.  Mix these ingredients together. 

In a large measuring cup, combine the 3/4 C warm water with the 2 T olive oil, and 1/2 C sweetened condensed milk.  Add in the egg and then mix until well combined. 

With your mixer on low, slowly add the liquids to the dry ingredients.  Allow the dough to knead for 6 minutes or so, until the dough is well combined.

If making the dough by hand, knead the dough in the bowl until the dough holds together.  Then, flip onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. 

Shape the dough into a ball and then place it in a lightly greased bowl.  Cover and allow the dough to rise until double in size – about 1 hour. 

Meanwhile, prepare the filling.  To do so, brown the ground turkey with garlic and onion, cooking until the meat is no longer pink.  Drain any excess grease. 

Then, add in the cabbage.  Saute the cabbage with the meat, adding in 2-4 T water, if needed. 

Next, add in the 2 T tomato paste along with salt and pepper.  Cook for 10ish minutes on a low temperature, stirring often.  You’ll want to keep the cabbage slightly crispy.

Reduce heat to low and cover until ready to use the filling.   

Slice up your cheese – or shred it.  You’ll want 8 sandwich-sized slices.  If you wish, use American cheese instead of cheddar.  We loved the cheddar though! 

When the dough has doubled in size, divide the dough into 8 sections.  Roll each section out into a circle, about 7-inches across.  Think an 8-inch tortilla size, minus 1 inch!  Don’t worry if they are not perfectly round either.  Mine certainly were not. 

Place the dough into a bowl with a deep bottom.  Layer the cheese on the bottom and then add 3/4 – 1 C of filling. 

We used our large Pampered Chef serving spoon filled to the brim for each roll. 

Seal up the tops.  Then, invert the bowl and your roll will pop out. 

Place the rolls on a lightly greased cookie sheet, or a cookie sheet lined with a baking mat.  Be sure and place the sealed end down.  Repeat with the remaining 7 dough balls. 

Bake the runzas at 350 for 20 minutes, until lightly golden brown. 

If desired, melt 1/2 T butter and brush the tops of the runzas with melted better after removing them from the oven. 

Serve warm.

These were super filling.  We ended up freezing some of the leftovers for the two of us to enjoy later.  We cooled them down and placed them in a freezer-safe bag.  I’d say they will keep for about 3 weeks – longer if wrapped in foil first. 

So, how do you like to use up cabbage?  We still have 1/4 of our head of cabbage left, and I’d love your ideas of how to use it! 

Irish Beef Pie

If you still have leftover cabbage, then this is a dish for you.  The inspiration for this recipe comes from Megan, over at Megan's Cookin.  She posted a fun recipe for individual Irish Beef Hand Pies; and while adorable, they looked like too much work for my tight evening schedule.

So, I took her recipe and adapted it for a large pie - using our favorite crescent rolls for the crust.

Irish Beef Pie - Adapted from Megan's Cookin

1/2 recipe, crescent roll dough
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 head green cabbage, finely sliced/shredded
4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 lb. beef stew meat, cubed into small chunks
1 can beef broth
3 T tomato paste
1/3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. Montreal Seasoning
sea salt and pepper, to taste

Prepare the crescent roll dough as directed.  When dough is ready, press into a glass pie plate.

Place olive oil, sliced cabbage and potatoes in a large skillet and begin to brown these veggies until lightly browned.

Then, add in the beef broth and beef and cook until beef is mostly cooked through.

Add in the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce along with the seasonings and simmer.

Simmer for ~10 minutes until potatoes are tender and beef is cooked through and most of the liquids are evaporated.

Pour the pie filling into the pie.

Bake the pie at 400 degrees for ~15-20 minutes until the pie is warmed throughout and the crust is lightly browned on top.

Allow the pie to cool for ~5 minutes before serving.

Serve up a slice of Beef Pie and enjoy!

Linked to: Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, What's on Your Plate?