Cabbage Rolls

I think everyone has a favourite recipe for making cabbage rolls. I don't really have a recipe per se but the secret to mine is using roasted tomato sauce. This is one of our favourite sauces so I can a lot of it. Roasted tomato sauce is perfect for so many dishes. In cabbage rolls, it lends a depth and richness you won't find with store bought sauces.

Cabbage Rolls

Originally this post was to be a step-by-step pictorial of how to make cabbage rolls. Unfortunately some of the pictures were not editable so I'm just going to tell you how I make cabbage rolls.

Method: Cook 1 cup of rice in a rice cooker then set aside. While the rice is cooking, brown 1 lb of lean ground beef, drain and stir in 1 small chopped onion and continue cooking until the onion is translucent. Mix the beef mixture with the rice then pour in one 500 ml (pint) jar of home canned unseasoned stewed tomatoes and 250 ml (half pint) of roasted tomato sauce. Cover the mixture and set aside.

Wash one head of cabbage. Bring a large stock pot filled about ⅔ full will water to a boil. Place the head of cabbage into the boiling water. As leaves begin to become translucent, pull the head of cabbage from the water and remove the leaves. Return cabbage to boiling water and repeat until you have enough leaves for the casserole. Pour about 250 ml of sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish to cover. I use a 9" x 9" but you can use larger. Place a couple of tablespoons of the rice mixture into the centre of a leaf. Fold both sides over the filling then starting at the edge near you form a roll. Place the roll into the casserole dish. Continue in this fashion until the casserole dish is filled, approximately 8 for the size mentioned. Pour roasted tomato sauce over the rolls to cover. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350ºF until warmed through and cheese is bubbly.

Serves 4