Stuffed Cabbage

As featured in Holiday 2023 issue of The Applegatarian.

"I wanted to share a recipe as a shout out to my wife, mother, and grandmother for one of the many dishes that they make that stay true to their Ukrainian roots. Stuffed cabbage is by far my favorite, and we traditionally serve it during Easter, Christmas, and other special family occasions" -Dan Kubiak, Applegate Brand Manager

The Applegatarian, an outlet where employees and advocates of the nation’s leading natural and organic meat brand dish about their favorite recipes, tips, products, partners and more.

Serves 4-6 | Total Time: More Than 60 Mins

Ingredients

For the cabbage rolls

1 large head of cabbage
1 pound ground pork or beef
1 cup cooked jasmine rice
1 cup shredded carrots
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/a cup chopped fresh Italian parsley or dill

For the sauce

2 cups water
4 ounces tomato paste
(% of a 6-ounce can)
Sour cream or yogurt, for serving
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg
2 ounces tomato paste (% of a 6-ounce can) 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
1½ teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

To make the cabbage rolls, wash and core the cabbage head. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the cabbage head, and simmer until the outer cabbage leaves can easily be pulled away. The leaves' color will change to a brighter green. As you pull the leaves off, allow them to cook in the hot water for a little longer if necessary, until they're pliable. Use tongs to transfer the leaves to a rimmed baking sheet to cool.
Once the cabbage leaves have cooled, cut off the large spine going down the middle of the leaves, and use the spines to layer the bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed pot. This layer of leaves will keep the stuffed cabbage from sticking to the pot or burning.
In a large bowl, mix together the ground pork, rice, carrots, onion, parsley, garlic, egg, tomato paste, salt, paprika, and black pepper.
Fill the trimmed cabbage leaves with 2 to 3 tablespoons filling mixture and roll the leaves tightly over the filling, like a burrito. Depending on the size of the leaf, they may require more or less filling. Place the stuffed cabbage seam-side down into the lined pot; continue until you have one layer, then start another layer. Depending on the size of the pot, you may end up with two or three layers of cabbage rolls. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
To make the sauce, combine water, tomato paste, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Add oil and whisk over medium heat until the tomato paste is dissolved and the sauce comes to a boil.
Pour sauce over stuffed cabbage, cover the pot, and bake the stuffed cabbage until the pork is cooked through, about 1 hour. Serve stuffed cabbage with sour cream.