Quick and Easy Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray cooking spray in a 9×13 glass cooking pan and set aside.

Wash cabbage. Cut out the core with a long knife, or whatever method you prefer. Place cabbage head in a microwave oven and cook at 100% for 3 minutes. Turn over and cook another 3 minutes at 100%. Allow to cool a few minutes, then remove the leaves, which will be hot, but should easily separate. Return the head to the microwave for a minute if it becomes difficult to remove the inner leaves. You should have between 14 to 18 usable leaves.

Mix rice (or quinoa), ground beef, garlic, onion, peppers, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley in a bowl until well combined. Yes, the meat and grains are uncooked.

On a workspace, place about 1/2 cup of the filling into the larger leaves (1/4 cup into the smaller ones) at the base of each leaf, inside the curve of the leaf. Fold in the side leaves, and then roll up from the core edge of the leaf to the end of the leaf. It will stay closed on its own. It should look vaguely like a small green burrito.

Spread about 1 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish, and lay the cabbage rolls on top. The cabbage rolls should completely fill the pan in 1 layer. About 14 to 16 cabbage rolls should fit in the pan. Cover with remaining tomato sauce and then thinly slice the butter over the top. Cover tightly with foil and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 1 hour then remove the pan from the oven. The butter should be melted and the juices on the edge of the pan should be starting to boil, but the rice/quinoa still uncooked. Use a turkey baster to spread juices from the side of the pan over the top to mix with the tomato sauce. Return the pan to the oven, covered, for 20 minutes more.

Remove pan from the oven and use the turkey baster again to combine the tomato sauce with the juices in the pan. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

You’ll think your Grandma dropped this off for you. Yum.

Notes:
1. Do not use spaghetti sauce in the place of tomato sauce, because it is too watery.
2. Do not use whole grains, because they require more cooking time than is provided here.