Home » Food & Drink » Southern Cooking » Cabbage - Recipes Straight From the Garden - Page 2

Cabbage - Recipes Straight From the Garden - Page 2

© Dar Cheek

Cabbage Rolls are another family favorite that can be considered a "lite" meal. I make mine with beef, but you can also use shredded chicken for an even lighter version. This is also a great casserole for your covered dish dinners. It can be made the day before, and it's even better once it's been reheated. My hubby said to make sure I mentioned that you need a bottle of Tabasco sauce handy with this one!

Ingredients:

8-10 large cabbage leaves (discard the tough, outer leaves)
2 lbs ground beef (or 4 shredded chicken breasts)
2 cups cooked white rice (or wild rice w/chicken)
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp Italian spice (or, a large pinch each of oregano, basil, thyme)
1 small can tomato paste
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 can/jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (great with homemade!)

In a large pot of water, boil your cabbage leaves for about 10 minutes. You want them tender, but not falling apart. Then, in a large skillet, fry your ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Drain. Stir in your rice, spices and tomato paste. Allow this mixture to cool for a few minutes and then stir your egg in quickly. Take one cabbage leaf and place a large spoonful of your burger mixture into the center of the leaf. Tuck both ends of the leaf toward the center, and then roll up, creating a little envelope around your beef mixture.

Pour a little of your spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish, and place your cabbage roll in the dish. Continue filling and rolling the rest of your cabbage leaves and beef mixture. When your casserole dish is full, pour the rest of your spaghetti sauce over the top. Cover the dish with foil or a lid, and bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees F. You'll know it's ready when it begins to bubble around the edges. You can sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top before serving, or if you aren't concerned about calories, cover the top of the cabbage rolls with mozzarella cheese and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Fried Cabbage is one of our most favorite side dishes. Everyone in my family loves it, and everyone has their own special way of doing it. My way, of course, is the best way, but that's also what my sister-in-law says. I think in truth, that everyone simply has their own idea of what the texture should be like. I prefer mine nice and caramelized. As I said before, there is nothing lite about this recipe!

The copyright of the article Cabbage - Recipes Straight From the Garden - Page 2 in Southern Cooking is owned by Dar Cheek. Permission to republish Cabbage - Recipes Straight From the Garden - Page 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.