Baked in a sweet and tangy tomato sauce, these cabbage rolls are similar to mini-meatloaves. They can be baked in the oven or cooked in the crockpot, making them perfect for busy nights or if you don’t want to heat up the oven.
⏲️ Time needed
You'll need about 30 minutes to prep the sauce and cabbage rolls. Cooking time will depend on the method you choose. Baking will take about 75 minutes or you can slow cook them for 4-6 hours on low.
🥘 Ingredients
- cabbage leaves
- rice
- egg
- milk
- onion
- ground beef
- salt
- garlic
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- tomato sauce
- brown sugar
- lemon juice
- Worcestershire sauce
🌾 Adaptations for dietary restrictions
This recipe is naturally gluten-free as long as your Worcestershire sauce is GF, so check your labels.
📋 Instructions
Fill a large pot halfway full with water and bring to a rapid boil. Add the cabbage leaves and cook for 3 minutes, drain, and set aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl combine rice, egg, milk, onion, ground beef, and seasonings; mix well. Place an equal amount of the meat mixture in each cabbage leaf and roll it up, tucking in the ends and making them as tight as possible. Place the rolls in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
Mix together the sauce ingredients and pour over the rolls. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 75 minutes.
💭 Tips
Be sure to get a large head of green cabbage for the leaves you need since you will want the leaves to be as large and wide as possible for wrapping.
The ground beef can be precooked if you prefer a looser texture to the filling. Starting with raw ground beef will result in a tighter loaf-type dish, where starting with cooked ground beef will result in a more crumbly and less compact dish.
To cook in the crockpot, follow the instructions to assemble the cabbage rolls, then place them into the crockpot. Mix the ingredients for the sauce and pour over the cabbage rolls. Cook for 4-6 hours on low (adjust depending on the size and temperature of your appliance).
Recipe
Cabbage Rolls with Sweet and Tangy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 leaves green cabbage
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 lb. ground beef
- Salt to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
Sauce:
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Fill a large pot halfway full with water and bring to a rapid boil.
- Add cabbage leaves and cook for 3 minutes, drain, and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl combine rice, egg, milk, onion, ground beef, and seasonings; mix well.
- Place an equal amount of the meat mixture in each cabbage leaf and roll up, tucking in ends and making them as tight as possible.
- Place rolls in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
- Mix together sauce ingredients and pour over the rolls.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake at 350°F for 75 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition per serving
🥗 Side dishes
Cabbage rolls can be served with a variety of sides. A green salad is a nice option, and although there is a little bit of rice in the dish, carb sides like rice, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese pair well with cabbage rolls.
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