Looks Delic
Do kids eat cabbage? I wasn’t sure when I pulled the trigger on making this recipe, but the answer is yes! These Sausage Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are a great way to introduce another healthy vegetable your dinner lineup. Cabbage isn’t a typical favorite of most people but with the right stuffing it can be downright delicious. I have an entire family that will attest to it so take it from someone who knows.
Let’s back up for a second – what in the world made me test out a cabbage recipe on my family when I wasn’t really sure how it would go over? Well living on Long Island especially on the east end we are surrounded by hundreds of wonderful farms. Our climate and soil conditions here are conducive to growing lots of different kinds of vegetables. Lots of the farms have tiny little farm stands along many of the roads out here but also farmers markets are abundant.
Usually, one day a week local growers will set up a booth at the farmers market and that’s where you can find all their delicious haul. A number of these farm stands also offer CSA (community supported agriculture) options where you become a member and once per week you get a “share” of their harvest. The thing with a CSA is that you don’t pick what’s included in your vegetable take each week, the farm does. You may very well get things you wouldn’t normally cook or even things that you don’t recognize. But it’s a great way to step outside your food comfort zone and try something new. This is a link to find out more about CSAs and the one we love at Sang Lee Farms.
About The Ingredients
- Green Cabbage – Typically the cabbage heads are quite large and you won’t need much of it. Remove any leaves on the outside that are tough and beat up. Get down to the nice, clean, green leaves to start. You’ll boil the whole head but probably only use 10-12 leaves.
- Sweet Italian Sausage – Being unsure what do with the cabbage I knew I had to at least pair it with something very flavorful and an ingredient that would appeal to my husband. That’s how I arrived at a sweet sausage stuffing.
- Brown Rice and Seasonings – I beefed it up my stuffed cabbage rolls with some cooked brown rice and intensified the flavor with onion, garlic, paprika and Worcestershire sauce.
FAQ’s and Recipe Tips
I love that the cabbage rolls are a meal all on their own. With the rice, sausage and veggie all in one little package you really don’t need to serve any additional sides but if you feel the need (as I often do) I served my cabbage rolls with cornbread and green salad.
In addition to being a complete meal, these cabbage rolls are a great make-a-head option for busy after school nights. I assembled my rolls completely and placed them in a baking pan. About 20 minutes before we were ready to eat I covered the dish with foil and warmed them in a 375° oven.
No need to bake them if you are serving them right away. The cabbage is completely cooked and hot from boiling and the stuffing is cooked and hot from sautéing. Stuff the leaves while everything is hot and serve.
How to Make Sausage Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
The stuffing is simple to make. I cooked the rice in my electric rice cooker while I prepared the sausage mixture and when both were done I simply folded them together. The tricky part, for cabbage newbies like myself, is prepping the cabbage head. Start by cutting of the base of the cabbage and then removing the exterior leaves. The next thing you’ll need to do is remove as much of the core as you can. With a pairing knife, cut on a 45° angle inward around the stem of the cabbage. Then gently pry the center piece out. This will help loosen the leaves but also gets ride of that really solid base of the leaves that no one wants to eat.
Now that the cabbage is prepped you can place it in a pot of boiling water for about 7 minutes. You’ll see the leaves turn a slightly brighter green and the center edges start to lift away from one another. That’s when you’re ready to remove the head to a cutting board and gently peel the layers off into single sheets for stuffing. The rest is the fun part – fill each leaf with stuffing and roll them up burrito style.
The Recipe For Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage may have never been on your radar as a family-friendly food before but I’m here to tell you to give it a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you see your kids gobbling it down and asking for more. If you try out the recipe leave a note in the comments to let me know how it went! Enjoy!
Sausage Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 head green cabbage
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage removed from casings
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup cooked brown riced
Instructions
- Cook the brown rice according to the directions on the package.1 cup cooked brown riced
- Prep the cabbage by removing the base and outer leaves and cutting out the core.1 head green cabbage
- Bring a large stock pot of water to a rolling boil and boil the head of cabbage for about 7 minutes. When done, remove to a cutting board and let cool enough to safely work with.1 head green cabbage
- Combine remaining ingredients, except for the rice, in a mixing bowl. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large fry pan and add the sausage mixture when hot. As the meat cooks, stir to crumble. Continue browning the meat until cooked through.1 lb sweet Italian sausage, 1 egg, 2 cloves minced garlic, ½ yellow onion, 1 tbsp fresh parsley, 1 tsp paprika, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Add the rice to the meat mixture.1 cup cooked brown riced
- Peel the cabbage leaves off the head and lay flat on a work surface. Working one at a time, place a heaping spoonful of stuffing in the center of a cabbage leaf. Fold up the bottom of the leaf, then fold each side in, and roll until completely closed. Repeat for each of the leaves until the stuffing is gone.
- Serve immediately or place in a baking dish to warm later.
