Whole Stuffed Cabbage Recipes

WHOLE STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Whisk egg white in a bowl; stir in kasha to evenly coat. Heat a small saucepan over high; add kasha mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until dry and kernels separate, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in boiling water and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook until water evaporates and kasha is tender, about 8 minutes.
• With a paring knife, remove core of cabbage. Drop cabbage into a large pot of generously salted boiling water; cook until outer leaves turn bright green and pull easily from head, about 1 minute. Remove outer leaves; transfer to a baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel. Continue boiling cabbage and removing leaves until 12 largest outer leaves are cooked. (Remove remaining cabbage and reserve for another use.) Trim the thick center vein from bottom of each leaf.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium. Add onion; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl along with cooked kasha; let cool completely. Whisk remaining egg and stir into kasha mixture with carrots, herbs, turkey, and flour. Season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Line an 8‐inch bowl (measured across top) with a double layer of cheesecloth, leaving about 6 inches of overhang. Then line with the 6 prettiest cabbage leaves, overlapping slightly and allowing them to hang over top of bowl. Layer with one‐third of turkey mixture; top with 2 more cabbage leaves. Repeat layering twice with remaining turkey mixture and leaves. Fold in overhanging leaves to cover filling. Gather cheesecloth overhang and lift cabbage up, twisting to tighten into a secure round.
• Place tomatoes and 1 cup water in an ovenproof pot, such as a Dutch oven; bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Place stuffed cabbage, with twisted part of cheesecloth facing down, in pot. Cover, transfer to oven, and roast, basting occasion‐ ally with tomatoes, until a thermometer inserted in center registers 160 degrees, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly, then remove cheesecloth and slice cabbage into wedges. Serve with pan sauce, sour cream, and herbs.

STUFFED WHOLE CABBAGE

Steps:

• Combine sauce ingredients; set aside. Line a medium bowl with cheesecloth, allowing 6 inches to overhang edges of bowl. Place cabbage in bowl with core facing up. Remove core and center of cabbage, leaving a 1-in. shell. Discard core; chop center cabbage leaves. , Heat large skillet over medium heat; add oil. Cook onion and 1 cup chopped cabbage in oil until tender, 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. In a small bowl, combine beef, onion mixture, 1 cup sauce, rice, egg, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into cabbage shell. Gather cheesecloth around cabbage and twist tightly to securely enclose cabbage leaves and filling. , Place 1 cup water, remaining chopped cabbage and remaining sauce in a Dutch oven; mix well. Carefully add stuffed cabbage, with twisted cheesecloth facing down. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until whole cabbage is tender and a thermometer inserted in the middle of the cabbage reads 165°, 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Remove cabbage and discard cheesecloth. Place cabbage on a serving platter; keep warm. , Combine the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup water; add to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil until thickened, about 2 minutes. Cut cabbage into wedges; serve with sauce and Parmesan cheese. If desired, sprinkle with fresh thyme and oregano leaves.

STUFFED WHOLE CABBAGE

Steps:

• Remove the coarse outside leaves from the cabbage and trim the base. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the cabbage for 7 minutes, then refresh under cold running water, drain well.
• Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat, add the onions, season well and cook until softened. Stir in the garlic and sage the set aside to cool.
• Whisk the eggs, salt, allspice and pepper together. Pour into a large bowl and add the pork and cooled onion mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs, parsley and mix well. Fry a small ball of stuffing to check the seasoning. Adjust the stuffing if necessary-it should be well seasoned, as the cabbage will absorb it.
• Spread a section of clean cheesecloth on the work surface and place the cabbage in the centre.
• Open out the leaves carefully, like a flower until you reach the heart and the leaves are small and too brittle to peel back. Starting with the inside circle of leaves, spread about 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 25 mL) of stuffing onto them, then fold them back around the cabbage heart. Repeat with each layer of leaves, adding more stuffing to the bigger leaves. If you run out of stuffing before the last layer, don't worry, just fold those leaves to reform the cabbage. Bring the cloth up around the cabbage to keep it in place and tie the opposite corners.
• Place the cabbage, thyme, bay leaf and juniper berries into a large saucepan or flameproof casserole, and pour in enough chicken stock to come at least halfway up the side of the cabbage. Add a little water if necessary.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove the cabbage and let sit for 10 minutes to drain out excess liquid. Bring the cooking juices to a boil, skim and boil gently to reduce slightly.
• Remove the cloth from the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into wedges, removing the core, if desired, and serve with the some of the cooking juices spooned over.

WHOLE STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Prepare tomato sauce: In a 3 quart saucepan combine first 6 ingredients.
• Over high heat, heat to boiling.
• Reduce heat to low, simmer covered for about 20 minutes.
• While sauce is cooking, prepare cabbage.
• Discard any tough outer leaves from cabbage, then carefully remove 2 large leaves and set aside.
• Cut out the stem and center of the cabbage, leaving a 1 inch thick shell.
• Dice the cabbage you removed from the center of the head.
• In a 5 quart Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and 1 cup diced cabbage until meat is browned and cabbage is tender (about 15 minutes).
• Stir in rice and 1 cup of tomato sauce, remove from heat.
• Fill cabbage shell with meat mixture.
• Cover the opening with reserved cabbage leaves, and tie with clean string.
• In same dutch oven, stir in water, scraping to loosen brown bits.
• Add remaining diced cabbage and tomato sauce to pan.
• Place stuffed cabbage head (stem-end down) in sauce; over high heat, heat to boiling.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, basting occasionally, until cabbage is tender (about 1 1/2 hours).
• When done, remove from Dutch oven and place cabbage in a deep platter, remove string.
• Spoon sauce over cabbage, slice cabbage head into wedges to serve.

VEGETARIAN WHOLE STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Rub the inside of a 3-quart round soufflé dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the cabbage leaves for 2 minutes to soften (they will continue to cook in the oven). Gently nudge them into the water with a large spoon if they float to the top during cooking. Drain and set aside.
• Pulse the garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the celery, carrot and red onion and pulse until finely chopped, scraping down the sides as necessary.
• Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil with the vegetable mixture, thyme, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool. Reserve the skillet.
• Pulse the cremini and shiitake mushrooms in batches in the food processor until finely chopped. Heat the reserved skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil with half of the mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and the liquid has released but has not completely evaporated, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the cooked vegetable mixture. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, remaining mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Transfer to the bowl with the cooked vegetable mixture and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add the brown rice, parsley and eggs to the vegetable mixture, and stir to combine well.
• Layer enough of the cabbage leaves to cover the bottom and up the sides of the souffle dish in a single layer, overlapping as needed to fill any visible gaps. Use the larger leaves, as the veins are more pronounced; the bottom will be the presentation side after it is cooked and flipped over.
• Gently spread about 1 2/3 cups of the mushroom mixture in the bottom of the dish in an even layer on top of the cabbage leaves. Evenly spread 5 tablespoons of marinara sauce over the mushroom mixture. Cover with a layer of cabbage leaves. Repeat with another 2 layers of mushroom mixture, marinara sauce and cabbage leaves, until all of the mushroom mixture is used. Reserve the remaining marinara sauce for serving. Tuck the final layer of cabbage neatly into the sides, gently pressing down all around to compact it.
• Tightly cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the cabbage is tender and the rice is cooked through, about 2 hours. Remove from the oven, but do not remove the foil. Allow to cool and set for at least 1 hour.
• Remove the foil and gently invert the stuffed cabbage onto a serving platter. Serve with the reserved warmed marinara sauce.

WHOLE STUFFED CABBAGE WITH GROUND BEEF

Steps:

• Cut center from cabbage; with a knife, carve out a cavity large enough to hold meat and rice mixture.
• Mix ground beef, onion, rice, 1 can of soup, salt, and pepper, diced celery, along with remaining cabbage (not core).
• Place cabbage head in large round casserole dish with 1/2 cup water in the bottom.
• Fill cabbage with meat mixture; cover and bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 F.
• Melt the cheese with remaining 1 can of tomato soup.
• Remove cover from the casserole and pour soup mixture over cabbage head.
• Return uncovered to oven for 15 minutes.