Kittencal's Cabbage Rolls
Created by KittenCal on August 9, 2011
- Servings: 30
- Prep Time: 2d
- Cook Time: 120m
- Recipe #58
Ingredients
- 6 pounds cabbage heads (2 large green cabbage heads, or 3 medium heads, frozen then completely thawed)
- 2.6 ounces sauerkraut (optional - 1/2 cup, hand-squeezed out to remove excess moisture)
- MEAT FILLING
- 2 pounds ground beef (uncooked, it will cook in the oven)
- 1/2 pound ground pork (uncooked, or omit the pork and use 2 pounds ground beef)
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 large egg (lightly beaten)
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional but good to add in for for extra flavor)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder (or 4 large garlic cloves, minced)
- 1 tablespoon onion salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups cooked white rice (or more if you like rice)
- TOMATO SAUCE
- 1 can (10 3/4 ounce) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
- 2 cans (14 ounce each) tomato sauce (Hunt's tomato sauce)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar (or white sugar)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (I like to also add in some cayenne pepper also for a little heat)
How to Make
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Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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Step 2: Set oven rack to second-lowest position.
How to Make
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Step 3: Grease a large roasting pan (the cabbage rolls will not fit into a 13x9-inch pan)
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Step 4: Make certain that the cabbage heads are completely thawed before using for this (to do this remove the heads of cabbage from freezer and place in a bowl then thaw at room temperature overnight).
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Step 5: Line the bottom of the roasting pan with a thin layer of cabbage leaves, since you will not be using the smaller leaves from the cabbage heads just use them for lining your pan (due to the long cooking time this will protect the rolls from over browning/burning in the pan while cooking).
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Step 6: Using a small sharp paring knife CAREFULLY remove the hard core/stem from the center of the head/s then remove the leaves from the cabbage, you may need to keep slicing off some middle part to remove the leaves easier, carefully remove the leaves off of the head/s.
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Step 7: Using your hands gently squeeze out 2 to 3 leaves at a time to remove excess water, then place the leaves in a large bowl; set aside.
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Step 8: For the meat filling: using clean hands mix all ingredients together for the meat filling in large bowl until thoroughly combined.
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Step 9: For the sauce, in a large bowl combine all sauce ingredients together until blended (adjust the salt and pepper to taste).
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Step 10: Using a large spoon or a ladle drizzle half of the sauce over the leaves in the pan then spread out to cover the leaves (does not have to cover the leaves completely).
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Step 11: Stuff the cabbage leaves tightly but carefully with the meat mixture (I use about 1/3-cup for larger leaves).
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Step 12: Roll up tightly and place the rolls in a single layer on top of the cabbage leaves and sauce in the baking dish.
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Step 13: Drizzle the remaining sauce over the rolls (using a butter knife separate the rolls slightly to insure the sauce settles between and around each roll).
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Step 14: Sprinkle about 1/2 cup or a little more sauerkraut over the sauce (if using).
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Step 15: If your using a large roaster pan you will not need to place on a baking sheet but if your using a smaller pan I suggest to place the pan on a large jelly-roll pan to catch any spills. Cover the pan/s tightly with heavy-duty foil.
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Step 16: Bake at 350 degrees F for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the cabbage is very tender (the cooking time will vary depending on how thick the cabbage leaves are(I usually check after about 1 hour).