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Vegetarian cabbage rolls
This hearty main dish is made with cabbage, mushrooms, rice, and walnuts topped with Mary Berg's scrumptious Big Batch Tomato Sauce.
YIELDS
8
Ingredients
- 1 savoy cabbage, frozen, thawed, and leaves separated
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 small yellow onions, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to season
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- 3 cups (approx. 300g) finely chopped mushrooms
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 3 cups (450 g) cooked rice
- 1/2 cup (60 g) finely chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup finely chopped dill
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1 egg
- 4 cups (1 L) Big Batch Tomato Sauce or store-bought tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) 35% cream
- 1/4 cup (53 g) brown sugar
Directions
- Cut the tough center rib from the bottom of 16 cabbage leaves and set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add in the onion, carrot, and celery, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened and lightly golden brown, about five to seven minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
- Place the skillet back over medium heat. Add in the remaining tablespoon of butter and the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about five minutes. Transfer the mushrooms into the bowl and add in the cumin, cooked rice, walnuts, dill, parsley, and egg and stir well to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, cream, and brown sugar and set aside.
- If you’re prepping ahead and plan on freezing portions of two, grease four six-by-eight-inch foil pans or freezer-to-oven safe containers with non-stick cooking spray. If making a full batch immediately, grease a nine-by-12-inch baking dish. Pour two-thirds of the sauce into the pan(s) and spread across the bottom.
- Working with one cabbage leaf at a time, scoop about half a cup of the rice filling onto the cabbage and tightly roll, tucking in the edges. Place the roll into the prepared pan(s), seam side down, and continue until all the cabbage and filling are used. Pour the remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls. If making ahead, cover and store the rolls in the fridge for up to three days or wrap the pans in plastic or freezer bags and freeze them for up to three months.
- To cook the rolls, heat your oven to 400º F. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes from fresh or for about one hour from frozen until heated through. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the sauce on top is a bit jammy. Serve and enjoy!
TIP: Traditionally, cabbage leaves are removed by repeatedly blanching and peeling away the layers of cabbage. To avoid this rather labour-intensive method, I prefer freezing and thawing my cabbage which breaks down and softens the leaves just enough to make the pliable and perfect for separating and rolling.
