Recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls – A comfort food classic, this recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls is a popular classic family dinner entrée. These cabbage rolls are filling, easy to make and almost always please the whole gang.
Plus, they only require about 30 minutes of hands-on cooking time.
Does Cabbage have Nutritional Value?
I’m so glad you asked — because yes, cabbage does have nutritional value. Using Savoy cabbage is highly nutritious but also mild and sweet-tasting. Shaped like green cabbages, savoy cabbage has deeply crinkled leaves and is particularly tender, even when raw.
Or, if you can’t find savoy cabbage, look for napa cabbage. This beautifully light green cabbage is easy to cook with a thin texture making it perfect for this recipe for stuffed cabbage rolls.
Here’s One Secret to Cooking Cabbage:
There’s one little secret to cooking savoy or napa cabbage: Do not overcook your cabbage.
Unless you love the smell of stinky feet in the kitchen, be careful to set a timer when quickly pre-cooking your cabbage in the recipe card below.
Recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls get a Clean Eating Makeover
Now that I have given them a makeover, this recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are really one of my favorite healthy dinner recipes. They are especially easy for weeknights.
How to Make the Healthiest Recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
In this recipe, I added in lots and lots of extra vegetables. From minced onion, carrot and garlic to savory, meaty mushrooms to the ground pastured beef mixture!
Not only do the extra vegetables and mushrooms make this Clean Cuisine version healthier than the conventional recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, but it really is tastier too.
I also substitute whole grain brown rice for the conventional white rice. As for the tomato sauce, you can either make your own from scratch (here’s a good basic recipe) or use a clean store-bought version made with extra-virgin olive oil. Hands down, my favorite store-bought marinara is Rao’s.
Another Favorite Weeknight Favorite Recipe
If you check out my recipe for Shepherd’s Pie, you’ll see I did pulled a similar trick by sneaking in lots of extra minced vegetables. The key is to make sure the vegetables are finely minced by using a food processor.
Great Side Dishes to Pair with this Recipe
We love a great vegetable-heavy dinner entree especially when paired with simple and delicious vegetable side dishes. Here’s some of our favorite easy vegetable sides:
- Honey Roasted Carrots – simple, delicious and a bit of honey makes them a sweet balance to this savory cabbage recipe.
- Recipe for Succotash – this is a vibrant and perfect summer side dish.
- This Recipe for Hasselback Potatoes is the perfect dish dish, especially since you’ll already have the oven on!
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts (with or without the bacon) is a delicious, hearty dish to pair with this cabbage recipe.
Kitchen Favorites
Recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls get a clean eating makeover with a boost in flavor and nutrition. Pastured beef and loaded with vegetables.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
Ingredients
- 1 large head Savoy cabbage or Napa cabbage
- 1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, finely chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 pound grass fed ground beef
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon Spanish paprika
- 2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 organic pastured egg
- 3 cups prepared marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large 5 quart pot filled 2/3’s full of water, bring to a boil with a dash of sea salt. When the water is boiling, carefully place the cabbage head into the water for 2 minutes. With tongs, pull the head of cabbage out of the water and rest on a large cutting board.
- Carefully remove the softened outer leaves, keeping them whole; set the leaves aside. Return cabbage head back to the pot and repeat until you have 12-16 cabbage leaves.
- Finely chop the remaining cabbage, measuring out 2 cups and set aside.
- If using a food processor, place the onions and process until they are finely chopped. Otherwise, finely chop by hand.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the onion cooks, add the carrots, mushrooms and garlic to the food processor and process until they are finely chopped. Otherwise, finely chop by hand.
- Increase heat to medium-high. Add the 2 cups of chopped cabbage, carrots, mushrooms and garlic; sauté for 4 minutes. Remove from heat; set vegetables aside to cool slightly.
- To a large bowl, add the brown rice, uncooked ground beef, thyme, paprika, salt, pepper, and egg. Stir gently. When the sauteed vegetables have cooled, add them to the large bowl and combine gently.
- Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
- To the cabbage leaf, Place approximately 1/4 cup for Napa or 1/2 cup for Savoy of the cabbage-meat mixture in the center of each leaf. Starting at the core end, roll into a tight log, tucking in the sides of the cabbage leaf as you go. Place cabbage roll in the baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.
- Top with remaining marinara sauce.
- Cover the baking dish with foil; bake at 350 degrees for 45-minutes. Uncover and serve warm.
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Quan
Tuesday 3rd of April 2018
Loved this recipe Ivy, we just got our hands on some terrific ground bison meat and used it in this recipe together with Rao's marinana, and using vermicelli instead of rice. It's an instant hit! Thanks!
Ivy Larson
Thursday 5th of April 2018
Hi Quan! Oh yay! Always SO good to hear I am not the only one who likes my recipes lol ;) I am so happy you all liked it too! I love the idea of using the bison too. I'll have to try that next...