Another recipe good for two, but could do four with plenty of sides. Double it if you need more!
Keltin’s Stuffed Cabbage
Ingredients
3 cups favorite red sauce (or one 24.5 oz can/jar)
1 fresh head of cabbage
8 strips bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 lb ground meat
1.5 cups cooked rice
Procedure
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Take your cabbage and peel off 5-6 large leaves. Do your best to keep them in tact with no tears or breaks. It helps to make a cut through the large white “vein” at the base/core, and then peel up from that cut to release the leaf. Set your leaves aside for now.
In a large non-stick skillet, cook 8 strips of bacon. Set the bacon aside on paper towels to drain, and reserve 1 tbsp of the grease.
In a fresh skillet over medium heat, add the bacon grease, onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Cover, and allow to cook for 10 minutes or until everything is soft.
Put the veggies into a bowl and set aside. In the same skillet, brown the ground beef along with the garlic. Once browned, drain, and set aside.
Start a large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add the cabbage leaves you pulled off earlier. Cover the pot and allow to cook undisturbed for 5 minutes at a rolling boil, then kill the heat and let them sit in that hot liquid to soften further.
In a large bowl, add the ground meat, veggies, rice, and vinegar. Now chop up the bacon and add it as well. It’s easiest to use kitchen shears here and just snip the bacon into the bowl. Now, stir well to incorporate. This is your stuffing, and the wine vinegar adds a very nice little twang to it.
Once the cabbage leaves are soft, place one on a cutting board or other suitable surface. Now add 2-3 tablespoons of the “stuffing”. Once filled, roll the leaf up and place seam side down in a greased baking dish.
Don’t get too heavy on the filling and overfill….a little goes a long way, especially when you are trying to roll and seal these little packages. Start small (1 to 2 tablespoons) and work your way up If needed. Going big and heavy up-front will cause the leaf to burst, so go small as you try this.
Continue this procedure with the remaining leaves until all have been stuffed. If you have left over stuffing, sprinkle it about the stuffed leaves in the baking pan.
Now pour the red sauce over all stuffed leaves and then bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until bubbling hot.
Set your leaves aside.
Start cooking the bacon.
In the bacon fat, cook the onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms.
Brown the ground beef with garlic.
The bacon is sitting on the side and ready!
Did I mention the bacon yet?
Keltin’s Stuffed Cabbage
Ingredients
3 cups favorite red sauce (or one 24.5 oz can/jar)
1 fresh head of cabbage
8 strips bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 lb ground meat
1.5 cups cooked rice
Procedure
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Take your cabbage and peel off 5-6 large leaves. Do your best to keep them in tact with no tears or breaks. It helps to make a cut through the large white “vein” at the base/core, and then peel up from that cut to release the leaf. Set your leaves aside for now.
In a large non-stick skillet, cook 8 strips of bacon. Set the bacon aside on paper towels to drain, and reserve 1 tbsp of the grease.
In a fresh skillet over medium heat, add the bacon grease, onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Cover, and allow to cook for 10 minutes or until everything is soft.
Put the veggies into a bowl and set aside. In the same skillet, brown the ground beef along with the garlic. Once browned, drain, and set aside.
Start a large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add the cabbage leaves you pulled off earlier. Cover the pot and allow to cook undisturbed for 5 minutes at a rolling boil, then kill the heat and let them sit in that hot liquid to soften further.
In a large bowl, add the ground meat, veggies, rice, and vinegar. Now chop up the bacon and add it as well. It’s easiest to use kitchen shears here and just snip the bacon into the bowl. Now, stir well to incorporate. This is your stuffing, and the wine vinegar adds a very nice little twang to it.
Once the cabbage leaves are soft, place one on a cutting board or other suitable surface. Now add 2-3 tablespoons of the “stuffing”. Once filled, roll the leaf up and place seam side down in a greased baking dish.
Don’t get too heavy on the filling and overfill….a little goes a long way, especially when you are trying to roll and seal these little packages. Start small (1 to 2 tablespoons) and work your way up If needed. Going big and heavy up-front will cause the leaf to burst, so go small as you try this.
Continue this procedure with the remaining leaves until all have been stuffed. If you have left over stuffing, sprinkle it about the stuffed leaves in the baking pan.
Now pour the red sauce over all stuffed leaves and then bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until bubbling hot.
Set your leaves aside.
Start cooking the bacon.
In the bacon fat, cook the onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms.
Brown the ground beef with garlic.
The bacon is sitting on the side and ready!
Did I mention the bacon yet?
