Un-Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

This casserole is adapted from stuffed cabbage rolls that my Mom, Mary, always made when I was a kid

I would sit in the kitchen and watch as she stuffed each cabbage leaf with a delicious filling of ground beef and rice

Sometimes I helped and we would stuff & roll, stuff & roll, stuff & roll until the entire tray of cabbage was ready to be baked

Fast forward to my kitchen where I’ve taken out the laborious rolling part and made this into a less time consuming “un-stuffed” casserole

Same great taste as far as I’m concerned, just quicker to get into the oven and into our bellies!

Start by cutting the core from a head of cabbage. I use savoy cabbage because I find it to be more tender than regular cabbage and it has a milder taste

Peel off each cabbage leaf being careful to keep it whole

Slice out any remaining part of the core. The easiest way to do this is to simply slice a “v” on the bottom of each leaf

Submerge the cabbage leaves a few at a time in a large pot of boiling, salted water

Blanch until the leaves have softened slightly but the color remains vibrant; just about 2-3 minutes

Immediately plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking process and remove to a tray lined with paper towels

Roll each leaf like a cigar and slice into strips

Set aside and let’s work on the filling

Dice one large red pepper and one large onion and finely dice three garlic cloves

Saute in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes or until the veggies soften a bit

To the vegetables, add in 3 pounds of ground meat. You can use beef or turkey

Since this is a lot of meat, it will take about 10 to 12 minutes to brown

If using beef, drain the excess fat

To the meat mixture, add in 2 cups of cooked rice and 2 cups of tomato sauce

I’m using my recipe for Slow Cooker Tomato Sauce because it’s a little thinner than sauce cooked on the stove

Add in 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Mix to combine

Add enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom of an oven safe casserole, about 1 cup

Add a layer of the sliced cabbage leaves

Top with a layer of the meat mixture

Repeat adding layers of cabbage and meat mixture, ending with the cabbage and topping with about a cup of tomato sauce

Spread the sauce out over the cabbage so it’s mostly covered

Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes

Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving

As promised, all the delicious flavors of stuffed cabbage without all of the work!

Enjoy!

Un-Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Servings: 8
Time: 30 minutes prep, 45 minutes cook
Difficulty: Medium
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Ingredients

1 head of savoy cabbage

1 large red bell pepper

1 large onion

3 garlic cloves

3 pounds of ground beef or turkey

2 cups of cooked white rice

4 cups of tomato sauce

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Kosher Salt and black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice cubes and cold tap water

Cut the core from the head of cabbage and peel off each cabbage leaf being careful to keep it whole

Slice out any remaining part of the core by slicing a “v” on the bottom of each leaf

Submerge the cabbage leaves a few at a time in a large pot of boiling, salted water until the leave have softened slightly but the color remains vibrant; just about 2-3 minutes

Immediately plunge the cabbage leaves into and ice bath and carefully remove to a sheet pan lined with paper towels

Dice one large red pepper and one large onion and finely dice three garlic cloves; saute in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for about 5-6 minutes over medium heat or until the veggies soften a bit

To the vegetables, add in 3 pounds of ground meat. You can use beef or turkey

This will take about 10 to 12 minutes to brown ; if using beef, drain the excess fat

Add in 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and kosher salt and black pepper to taste; mix to combine

Add enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom of an oven safe casserole, about 1 cup

Add a layer of the sliced cabbage leaves; top with a layer of the meat mixture

Repeat adding layers of cabbage and meat mixture, ending with the cabbage and topping with about a cup of tomato sauce

Spread the sauce out over the cabbage so it’s mostly covered

Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes; let sit 5-10 minutes before serving

Tools used to make this recipe

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch

Simply Bamboo Maui Bamboo Cutting Board