Cabbage Roll Deconstructed

Last week, my friend, Lisa told me a about this recipe and it brought back childhood memories of the yummy smells and tastes from my mom's kitchen.  My mom would make cabbage rolls in her big electric skillet.  She would fill huge cabbage leaves with meat, tomato and rice.  After rolling them up and securing them with toothpicks, she would braise them in her skillet and it would smell so good.  That probably sounds strange because most people think of sauerkraut when they think cabbage, but slow braising really mellows the flavor and leaves no after cooking smell.  

The recipe that Lisa shared was from Taste of Home and is aptly called Inside-Out Cabbage Rolls.  It took about 45 minutes with only 20 minutes of active cook time!  You use pre-jarred pizza sauce so it isn't GF, but if you use your own marina sauce instead and it would be GF.  Another great thing is that it is only 9 ingredients!  I only used half the cabbage head and I doubled the rice from the original recipe. 

I threw the beef, onions and bell pepper in my beautiful Dutch oven and cooked them until the meat was browned.

After draining the pot, I added in the cabbage, tomatoes, broth & sauce.  

Then it just simmered for 25 minutes before adding the rice.  Garnished with a little cheese and enjoyed a light, but satisfying meal!

Cabbage Roll Deconstructed:

(Serves 8)

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef

1 lg onion, chopped

1 lg bell pepper (any color), chopped

1/2 sm head cabbage, chopped

1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes & green chilies

1 cup low sodium beef broth

1 cup pizza sauce

2 cups brown rice, cooked

1 cup cheese (I used Colby-Jack), shredded

Directions:

In a large pot over medium heat, cook the beef, onion and bell pepper until the meat is no longer pink and drain.  Stir in the cabbage and the next 3 ingredients.  Raise the heat and bring to a boil.  Stir and turn the heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 25 minutes.  Cook rice according to package directions.  Add the cooked rice to the pot and gently combine.  When serving, sprinkle each portion with some shredded cheese and enjoy!!