Simple Stuffed Cabbage

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the core out of the head of cabbage and place the cabbage in the water. Return to a light simmer. Using tongs, remove the outer layers of cabbage as they start to soften (approximately 1–2 minutes each layer). Place the softened leaves on a towel or in a colander to drain. Keep removing the outer leaves until only the middle of the cabbage remains. Remove and drain the middle. Let cool.

Once the leaves are slightly cooled, cut out the thick rib at the bottom of the leaf. I use kitchen scissors to do this. Start with the largest leaves to make into rolls. Lay the smaller leaves or leaves from the center over the bottom of a large pot to protect the rolls from burning during cooking.

Mix the parboiled rice, ground meat, eggs, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Place approximately 1/4 cup of the meat mixture in each cabbage leaf (depending on the leaf’s size) and roll by pulling the sides of the leaf towards the middle then rolling away from you (like a burrito!).

Stack the cabbage rolls with the open side down over the leaves on the bottom of the large pot.

In a separate bowl, mix together the soup, 1 cup water, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Pour over the cabbage rolls. Fill the pot up with enough water to just cover the rolls.

Bring the water to a simmer on the stove top, cover, and simmer on low for 2 hours. Do not stir, though you can make sure the water is still covering the rolls by pressing them down periodically.

Serve with bread to scoop up the extra sauce!

Notes:
1. To parboil rice place 3/4 cup of water and 3/4 cup of rice in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until no more water remains in the pan.
2. You can use just ground beef for stuffed cabbage, but I really like the mix of meat. I just get the pre-mixed meatloaf mix at the store. Usually I don’t even have to go to the meat counter for it.