How To Make Deliciously Healthy Cabbage Rolls
My husband grew up eating traditional cabbage rolls in Louisiana. It’s one of his favorite things & a new years tradition for him. I grew up eating stuffed peppers and had never heard of cabbage rolls until we married.
Fast forward 10 years & we combine his cabbage rolls with my stuffed peppers for a super healthy version all our own.
If you’ve followed my journey online, you know all about my sneaky veggie meatballs. I basically use this same method with a few added ingredients to make these deliciously healthy cabbage rolls.
The very first thing you will do is remove the large outer leaves from a head of cabbage. You can use green or red/purple cabbage. In this case I'm using a combination of both.
If you have trouble removing the leaves, try doing it under running water letting the water flow between the leaves.
Put your cabbage leaves aside & work on the filling.
Select your vegetables. I am using carrots, onions, garlic, bell pepper, and little jalapeño for a spicy kick. You can really use any vegetable you like - I would just steer clear of any wet veg - lettuce, cucumber, etc.
Finely chop the vegetables using a food processor/chopper or by hand.
Season the vegetable mixture & taste it for adjustments.
Add in the ground meat, rice, & 1 egg. Mix until just combined. Do NOT overmix or the meat can become tough.
Lay 1 large cabbage leaf on you work surface. Place a ball of filling about the size of your palm or a scoop of ice cream (which is a great tool for this by the way), in the center of the leaf abut an inch or so down from the top.
No roll the top down to cover the filling, wrap each side inward, and roll down the remainder of the leaf like a burrito.
This is easier to see in this quick video.
Place the cabbage roll stem side down in a heavy bottomed pot.
Repeat until you've completed all your rolls & have only 1 layer in the bottom of the pot.
Add enough liquid to reach halfway up the side of the cabbage rolls. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Reduce the heat to medium low, cover & simmer for 15 minutes adding more liquid as needed to keep the bottom from scorching.
Stir in the tomatoes, cover & simmer for another 30 minutes. Check on it regularly to make sure there is enough liquid. Add more as needed.
Your rolls are done when the cabbage is completely cooked & tender including the stem.
Watch this video to see the entire process from beginning to end.
Cabbage Rolls with Summer Squash
How To Make Deliciously Healthy Cabbage Rolls
Recipe details
- 6 servings
- Prep time: 10 Minutes Cook time: 1 Hours Total time: 1 hr 10 min
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