Stuffed cabbage is a delicious winter comfort food, and you can easily adapt the ingredients to your liking. It is a popular dish throughout Eastern Europe including countries like Romania and Moldova. This dish is made using cabbage leaves that are stuffed with meats, spices, and rice. The leaves act as a sturdy wrap, and the beefy filling pairs well with the flavorful herbs used to stuff the leaves. This recipe is also a great way to use up any leftover cabbage in your refrigerator.
The first step is to prepare the tomato sauce. You can either use a jar of marinara or make your own tomato sauce from scratch. It is important to have a tomato sauce that has a good amount of sugar in it, as this helps cut down on the acidity of tomatoes. The sauce is then poured over the stuffed cabbage and baked in the oven until it is cooked through.
Next, you will need to blanch the cabbage leaves. This is done by submerging them in boiling water for a short amount of time. This helps soften the cabbage leaves and makes them easier to remove. It also helps the leaves stay together while baking.
Once the cabbage is cooled, you can start preparing the meat filling. In a large bowl, combine ground meats, 1 cup of the sauce, rice, bread crumbs, onion, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well. With a sharp knife, carefully cut away the hard triangular rib on the base of each cabbage leaf. To assemble the cabbage rolls, place about a quarter cup of the meat mixture near the bottom center of each leaf. Roll the leaf around the filling, tucking in sides as you go. كرنب محشي
