Cabbage Rolls

I have to admit, I kind of like it when the weather cools down a bit. For many reasons, including the comfort food. And one of my favorite comfort foods, is Cabbage Rolls.

I like mine with a sweeter sauce. It makes for the perfect balance from the pepper I have in my filling & in my mashed potatoes. Yes, mashed potatoes is a requirement as a side dish. At least they are in my book.

And here is my massive head of cabbage. That's a full size dinner plate it's sitting on. Perfect for cabbage rolls.

Lots of people think that cabbage rolls are too time consuming or difficult to make. Neither of which are true. I whipped these up in practically no time at all. And I had my 11 month old attached to my leg almost the entire time. Therefore, I've included all of my shortcuts too. You're welcome.

First things first, gather all of your ingredients. Next grab a large pot, fill it with water & bring to a boil. While you're making your filling & sauce, you'll be boiling the cabbage leaves to cut down on cooking time. Just slice a bit off the bottom of the cabbage & carefully start peeling the leaves off. If some of them rip, as long as they're plenty big enough, it's OK. Just be sure to boil both sides until they're a slight bright green color. 

For the filling, you'll need:

1 egg, beaten

1 lb. hamburger

2 small onions, chopped

1/2 C. instant white rice

salt & pepper

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. I don't even mix this until I'm ready to stuff my cabbage leaves. Just place the bowl to the side & move on.

For the sauce, you'll need:

2 small onions, chopped

1-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1/2 C. lemon juice

a little more than 1/2 C. brown sugar

salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients in a separate mixing bowl. 

Take a 9x13 in. baking dish & coat with nonstick cooking spray. I used an 8x8 in. & didn't have room for all of my sauce. (I didn't have enough for another batch, but I used that as an excuse anyways when I made more a few days later.) Cover the bottom of your dish with some sauce.

Assembly time! Lay your cabbage leaf out. Mix your filling, & grab enough to make a large meatball. A long & large meatball actually. Place in the center of your cabbage leaf.

Roll up from the bottom & tuck.

Now working carefully around any possible tears or difficult parts, fold your sides in & finish rolling.

Start placing them in your baking dish.

 Until you're all done. As you can see, I fit 7 in my 8x8 in. dish.

Thoroughly cover with sauce. If you're using a smaller dish like me, be sure to leave a bit of room to avoid overflow while baking. 

350 degrees for 1 hour & this is what you've got.

Fresh from the oven cabbage roll (complete with steam), mashed potatoes & some extra sauce from the baking dish.

Enjoy!

*If you would like less of a sweeter sauce: 

1 small onion, chopped

1-15 oz. can crushed tomatoes

6 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 C. brown sugar

salt & pepper