Lazy Cabbage Rolls

[Outdoor Girl]

I joined a food share and have been getting cabbage about once a month.  I've never really been fond of cabbage but found this recipe to use it up.  It is really good and freezes well.

Lazy Cabbage Rolls


1 3lb cabbage, chopped (about 12 cups)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 lb ground beef (or pork or turkey)
3 cups tomato sauce
1 cup long grained rice, uncooked
3 1/2 cups beef broth (or chicken broth if using pork or turkey)
1 tsp salt and pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and cook onion until softened.  Add meat and cook, stirring with a fork to break it up, until meat is no longer pink.  Remove any excess fat, if necessary.  Add tomato sauce, chopped cabbage, rice, broth, salt and pepper to taste.  Stirring to mix well, bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes or until rice and cabbage are tender.  Uncover and cook 5 minutes or until excess liquid has evaporated.  Stir well, cover and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.  Makes 10 to 12 servings.


I add extra tomato sauce and I used brown rice the second time I made it, leaving the cabbage out until the rice had cooked for about 10 minutes, then adding the cabbage.  I also got more like 15 servings out of it.

A friend of mine is going to try it with meat substitute and veggie broth, since she and her husband are vegetarians.

[blarg314]

I have a similar version I do, but in the oven.  I blanch the cabbage lightly, and I parboil the rice (toss in a pot of boiling water, and cook until almost tender) then drain and rinse (for speed, I use the same water, and scoop out the cabbage with a slotted spoon).  Then I mix the rice that with ground pork, chopped onion and seasonings.  I put a layer of the chopped cabbage in a casserole dish, them the rice and meat mixture, then the rest of the cabbage, then pour the tomato sauce over it, and pop it in the oven until it's cooked.

It has more prep work, but once it's in the oven you can ignore it, and you can assemble it the day before to save time.

[kareng57]

I've done this recipe, too.

I believe that I tried "traditional" cabbage rolls (fussing with the leaves, toothpicks etc.) exactly once.