Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Involtini di Cavolo Ripieni)

Main Meals#cabbagerolls #involtini #stuffedcabbage

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Involtini di Cavolo Ripieni)

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Involtini di Cavolo Ripieni)

A heathy and hearty delicious comfort dish made with simple inexpensive ingredients that won’t break your budget. This dish consists of blanched cabbage leaves, stuffed with your choice of ground meat, along with a few other ingredients and spices, braised in a marinara sauce.

It might take some time to prepare, but the result is well worth it ! 😋

INGREDIENTS:

One head of cabbage 🥬

35 ozs.(800 g) minced veal (or meat of your choice)

2 cups (200g) semi-cooked rice

1 cup (80g) grated cheese (we used parmigiano reggiano)

1 cup (30g) finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon (3g) garlic powder

1 tablespoon (6g) ground black pepper

1 tablespoon (6g) oregano

1 tablespoon (6g) smokey or regular paprika

2 medium sized carrots (finely chopped)

2-3 celery stems (finely chopped)

salt 🧂 to taste

OVEN at 365 Fahrenheit (185 C)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Start by cooking a marinara sauce, prepare all your ingredients, and have a

pot of water going for the cabbage. click here for our how to make a classic Marinara sauce : https://youtu.be/8MWXQRFIZiE?si=8CZii2l0fiye8PDn

2) Cook the rice as directed on the package; HOWEVER it needs to be cooked halfway. The grains need to have a bit of a crunch, and set aside. The rice will finish to cook with the stuffing.

3) Over a medium heat burner, place a large deep skillet and generously drizzled it with vegetable oil (enough to cover the entire bottom of the skillet) add your meat and separate with a spatula. When the meat starts to brown, add the spices. Stir periodically. Add the carrots and celery, give it a good mix. Set aside to cool.

4) Once the meat has cooled, add the rice, grated cheese and parsley. Add a few ladles of sauce (sugo), mix well and set aside.

HOW TO BLANCHE THE CABBAGE

1) Remove the outer leaves before CAREFULLY cutting out the core (this will help to release the leaves). Place it in the boiling water for a maximum of 5 minutes,(turning over the cabbage at the halfway mark).

2) When the outer leaves start to soften and separate from the cabbage head, remove and place in a heat proof bowl lined with a folded clean dish towel to absorb the water. Let the cabbage cool about 10 minutes before peeling off the leaves and laying them flat to dry on baking sheets lined with clean dish towels.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE

1) With a knife, cut the tip thick stems, or you can shave them down with a knife.

2) Fill each leaf with a couple of spoonfuls of the meat mixture. Tightly roll up the cabbage leaf halfway, tuck in both ends and finish rolling.

3) Layer the baking dish with the marinara sauce (succo). Arrange the cabbage rolls. Once the dish is filled, cover with more sugo, sprinkle a couple of handfuls of the grated cheese.

4) Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place in a preheated 365 Fahrenheit (185 C) oven for 1 to 1-1/2 hours (all depending on your oven). The cabbage rolls should be tender. Remove the foil last 15-20 minutes of cooking to release the steam.

NOTES AND TIPS:

The extra cabbage rolls can be placed in the freezer for up to 2 months, WITHOUT THE SAUCE.

Lay them spaced apart without touching each other on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Once frozen, place them in a freezer bag or an air tight container. When ready to use, defrost in the fridge overnight before cooking them with the marinara sauce.

DO NOT THROW AWAY and left over cabbage. You can make a cabbage soup, add it to minestrone, stir fry OR slice the leaves, drizzle some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste in between a panino …. Mmmmm, so good. 😋

Buon Appetito a tutti ! 🍷