Cabbage Roll Casserole
I use to make regular cabbage rolls until I found this recipe. Now, instead, I make this and it is as good as the regular cabbage rolls and a lot easier.
I use to make regular cabbage rolls until I found this recipe. Now, instead, I make this and it is as good as the regular cabbage rolls and a lot easier.
- Carbohydrate 13.5745588899416 g
- Cholesterol 51.4071352666667 mg
- Fat 11.4550736944557 g
- Fiber 0.428555554753758 g
- Protein 15.300286930624 g
- Saturated Fat 4.46802584848251 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (237g)
- Sodium 51.201771811562 mg
- Sugar 13.1460033351879 g
- Trans Fat 1.6417999750976 g
- Calories 224 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a large skillet, brown beef in oil over medium high heat until redness is gone. Drain off fat.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the onion, tomato sauce, cabbage, rice and salt. Add meat and mix all together. Pour mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour broth over meat mixture and bake in the preheated oven, covered, for 1 hour. Stir, replace cover and bake for another 30 minutes.
When operating with a single standard oven and limited counter space, rolling individual cabbage leaves becomes a logistical bottleneck. Deconstructing the dish into a 9x13 inch baking dish bypasses individual leaf wrapping entirely while retaining the core textural interplay of softened brassicas and seasoned ground meat. Managing the moisture level of the uncooked white rice is critical; dry grains absorb the surrounding beef broth and tomato sauce during baking, swelling without requiring a separate boiling step.
Brown the two pounds of beef over medium-high heat until all surface moisture evaporates and deep fond forms on the skillet floor. Drain excess rendered fat thoroughly before mixing, or the top layer of the casserole will separate into grease during the initial one-hour covered bake at 350 degrees F. Covering the dish traps steam, which softens the dense three and a half pounds of chopped cabbage uniformly. Stirring at the ninety-minute mark redistributes the remaining liquid, allowing the bottom grains of rice to hydrate fully during the final thirty minutes.
Starch retrogradation occurs overnight in the refrigerator, firming the loose grains and tightening the sauce matrix. Reheating portions gently in a heavy-bottomed skillet with a splash of water restores the original texture more effectively than microwave reheating, which tends to toughen ground proteins.
