ITALIAN CABBAGE ROLLS-

Intro: ITALIAN CABBAGE ROLLS-

these things are addictive! sounds gross, i know. anything with cabbage in it makes me cringe a litte.
the cooking process actually gives the cabbage a pasta texture, and they are more like 'sausage and cheese rolls' than anything.
try it, i promise you will make them again and again!
my husband's favorite dish!
MUSIC OF CHOICE FOR THIS ONE: band: ACIDJACKS song DISCOSHOES

STEP 1: GATHER INGREDIENTS

1 LB GROUND BEEF
1 ROLL OF SAUSAGE
1/2 LARGE ONION
2 EGGS
1 CUP COOKED RICE
1 LARGE GREEN CABBAGE
1 JAR FAVORITE PASTA SAUCE
1 PACKAGE ITALIAN CHEESE
SALT, PEPPER, GARLIC POWDER TO YOUR TASTE.

STEP 2: PREPARE CABBAGE

core the cabbage(remove the hard middle) with a large knife, being careful not to cut the leaves.
boil the cabbage for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the leaves are pliable, but not soft.
note: it took me some time to get the time right on this, if you make them too soft, they will be impossible to roll.
remember that they will cook a little bit later on in the oven.

STEP 3: PREPARE THE FILLING

brown the ground beef, sausage, onions and seasonings in a skillet.
add salt and pepper to taste.
you MUST cool the meat in the freezer after it is fully cooked for at least 15 minutes. while the meat is cooling, cook the rice.
add two eggs and cooked rice to cooled meat and mix, this will be your filling.

STEP 4: MAKE THE ROLLS

peel one leaf at a time from the cabbage, being careful not to tear.
cut the hard center piece of the cabbage off. (see picture for illustration)
lay on a separate plate and fill with about 3 spoons of the meat mixture.
add a sprinkle of cheese, and roll up until tight.
cut off remaining cabbage, and cabbage on end that does not contain filling.
arrange in a row in large glass baking dish.
pour your favorite spaghetti sauce over the rolls.
fill empty sauce jar 1/2 full with water, cover, and shake.
pour water over rolls, making sure to cover every edge with water.
add remaining cheese over the top.
cover the dish with foil.
bake 350 for 1 hour 30 minutes.
turn oven off and let rolls cool for 45 minutes.
remove from oven and enjoy!

Comments

[General Zod]

These look soooooo good. I have a friend that's Hungarian, and she was trying to explain this to me. I tried it but had no luck. Thank you for making an 'ible of this with pictures so I can try my hand at it again.

[alessiof76]

I am Italian, I never ate this .. but looks good

[mollypierucci]

thanks, it is good. my husband is from argentina and it is a recipe his family cooks- they are italian transplants. we mix a lot of italian 'style' (marinara for example) with the argentine spanish traditional food. hence, 'italian' cabbage rolls. p.s. i'm american, and i've never eaten several 'american' foods... you should try it, it's awesome!

[alessiof76]

I have often eaten something similar, the same stuffed into tomatoes or eggplant however, I decided to try your recipe!

[mollypierucci]

OOOO- that looks delicious! let me know how the cabbage works out for you, it's become one of our favorite dishes for sunday afternoon. :)

[alessiof76]

excuse me if yesterday i have not replied. I am not able to translate your request I speak badly English and use translator (sorry)

[letstrythat]

If you go to a produce store they sell a cabbage call "new cabbage'" the whole head is like the outer leaves on head cabbage. Every leaf is dark green and very easy to work with. Regular cabbage leaves get thicker and harder to work with as you get to the center of the head.

[StephK703]

Made these tonight, they are SO good! Thanks for the post. Yum!

[MuseinTheKitchen]

These look great! I actually like cabbage, so that's a double bonus. I'll definitely have to give this a try.

[xrobevansx]

I have never had these except by my grandmother. THANKS!

[xrobevansx]

oh...and they ARE addictive!!

[GorillazMiko]

Woah... those actually look pretty good. As said in the first paragraph, they're addictive. I'm not sure if they are, but they look addictive. :P
Nice job.