I used to eat these a lot growing up and forgot about them until we had a large head of cabbage that needed to be used.
When I suggested making Pigs in a Blanket, Brian thought I meant the hotdog version so he was confused (since I don’t eat hot dogs).
It is a bit of a process to make this recipe, but they’re good and the recipe makes a lot, so it’s great for a meal where you want to have leftovers.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ kilos (3 pounds) extra lean ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon, salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 cups white rice, cooked and cooled
- 1 large cabbage
- 5-6 large tomatoes, peeled and crushed
- 4 cups homemade chicken broth
- Olive oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 160° C (325° F)
- Coat large roasting pan with olive oil and set aside
- Wilt head of cabbage in large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes
- Remove cabbage from pot, cool slightly and separate leaves, taking care not to break the leaves
- Mix ground beef, cooked rice, garlic, salt, paprika, cumin, oregano and pepper.
- Form 3-inch balls
- Place meatball into cabbage leaf and fold leaf around the ball.
- Place into roasting pan, folded side down
- Repeat until all filling is used
- Cover cabbage rolls with crushed tomatoes
- Pour chicken broth over the rolls
- Cover roasting pan and bake for 2 hours or until cabbage is tender
Tips and Modifications:
- Top with hot sauce and/or cheese
- You can omit the cumin and replace with a teaspoon of basil and ½ teaspoon of rosemary for an Italian flavor; top with cheese and/or ketchup.