Best Stuffed Napa Cabbage Braised In Tomato Sauce Recipes

STUFFED CABBAGE WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the cabbage rolls: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cabbage leaves and cook, until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the leaves into a colander in the sink and refresh under cold running water. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, place the beef, rice, sour cream, and 2 teaspoons salt.
• Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 7 minutes. Stir in the paprika and allspice and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Add the onion mixture to the beef mixture, and mix until well combined. Season with pepper to taste.
• Lay the cabbage leaves on a work surface and blot dry with paper towels. Slice off the ridged part of the thick rib at the bottom each leaf, creating a level surface over the leaves. Place about 1/2 cup of the beef mixture in the bottom center of each roll. Roll the bottom of a leaf over the beef mixture, fold in the sides, and continue rolling forward until completely closed. Repeat with the remaining leafs. Arrange the rolls seam side-down in a 9-x 13- x 2- inch oval gratin dish.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Make the tomato sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the tomatoes, broth, salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and season with pepper to taste. Pour over the cabbage rolls and cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Bake for 1 hour.
• Remove the foil from the baking dish and continue cooking, basting occasionally, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 30 minutes more. Serve in the gratin dish.

LAMB AND RICE STUFFED CABBAGE WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it. Add the cabbage leaves to the boiling water a few at a time and cook for 30 seconds to one minute, or until they're just pliable. Carefully remove the leaves from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander; rinse with cold water. Repeat with the remaining leaves. Gently squeeze the leaves to remove most of the excess water, leaving them just damp enough so they will stick together when rolled.
• Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; when hot, add half the chopped onion and one tablespoon of the garlic, along with the carrot and the parsnip, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl along with the lamb and rice. Mix until just combined.
• Wipe the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the remaining onion and garlic and cook until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, red pepper and a good sprinkling of salt; cook over medium-low heat while you prepare the cabbage leaves.
• Cut the cabbage leaves in half by running a sharp knife along each side of the stem, removing the stem in the process; trim the top and bottom so you're left with a large rectangle. Lay a leaf on a work surface with the wide edge facing you. Put a couple tablespoons of the meat mixture in the middle of the leaf, fold in the two sides of the leaf and roll it up as you would a burrito. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.
• Add the cabbage rolls, seam side down, to the pot of sauce. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring the sauce occasionally and adding a tablespoon or two of water if the sauce becomes too thick, until the meat and rice are both fully cooked (cut into a roll to check; the rice should be tender and the meat no longer pink), 30 to 45 minutes. Serve immediately.

WHOLE STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Whisk egg white in a bowl; stir in kasha to evenly coat. Heat a small saucepan over high; add kasha mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until dry and kernels separate, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in boiling water and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook until water evaporates and kasha is tender, about 8 minutes.
• With a paring knife, remove core of cabbage. Drop cabbage into a large pot of generously salted boiling water; cook until outer leaves turn bright green and pull easily from head, about 1 minute. Remove outer leaves; transfer to a baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel. Continue boiling cabbage and removing leaves until 12 largest outer leaves are cooked. (Remove remaining cabbage and reserve for another use.) Trim the thick center vein from bottom of each leaf.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium. Add onion; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl along with cooked kasha; let cool completely. Whisk remaining egg and stir into kasha mixture with carrots, herbs, turkey, and flour. Season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Line an 8‐inch bowl (measured across top) with a double layer of cheesecloth, leaving about 6 inches of overhang. Then line with the 6 prettiest cabbage leaves, overlapping slightly and allowing them to hang over top of bowl. Layer with one‐third of turkey mixture; top with 2 more cabbage leaves. Repeat layering twice with remaining turkey mixture and leaves. Fold in overhanging leaves to cover filling. Gather cheesecloth overhang and lift cabbage up, twisting to tighten into a secure round.
• Place tomatoes and 1 cup water in an ovenproof pot, such as a Dutch oven; bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Place stuffed cabbage, with twisted part of cheesecloth facing down, in pot. Cover, transfer to oven, and roast, basting occasion‐ ally with tomatoes, until a thermometer inserted in center registers 160 degrees, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly, then remove cheesecloth and slice cabbage into wedges. Serve with pan sauce, sour cream, and herbs.

STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, and cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, raisins, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Remove the entire core of the cabbage with a paring knife. Immerse the head of cabbage in the boiling water for a few minutes, peeling off each leaf with tongs as soon as it s flexible. Set the leaves aside. Depending on the size of each leaf, you will need at least 14 leaves.
• For the filling, in a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, eggs, onion, breadcrumbs, rice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add 1 cup of the sauce to the meat mixture and mix lightly with a fork.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To assemble, place 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Remove the hard triangular rib from the base of each cabbage leaf with a small paring knife. Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling in an oval shape near the rib edge of each leaf and roll up toward the outer edge, tucking the sides in as you roll. Place half the cabbage rolls, seam sides down, over the sauce. Add more sauce and more cabbage rolls alternately until you ve placed all the cabbage rolls in the pot. Pour the remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls. Cover the dish tightly with the lid and bake for 1 hour or until the meat is cooked and the rice is tender. Serve hot.

STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• For the sauce: In a large bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, red chili flakes (if using), brown sugar, and red wine vinegar. With a microplane, grate the clove of garlic into the sauce and stir well to combine. (Alternatively, you can very finely chop the garlic.)
• For the filling: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut out the core from the base of the cabbage and remove the 1-2 outer leaves. Place the cabbage cut side down into the pot of boiling water. As you see leaves naturally start to separate from the head of cabbage, gently coax the leaf off with a pair of tongs and transfer it to a colander set over a bowl. You will need about 14 cabbage leaves. This process takes about 6-8 minutes. Rinse the leaves with cold water until cool enough to handle. Drain well and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
• Place the cabbage leaves on a cutting board and make a V-shaped cut at the bottom of each leaf, to cut out the thickest part of the center rib.
• In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, pork, onion, egg, milk or cream, breadcrumbs, rice, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix gently to combine.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole dish. Ladle 1 cup of sauce into the dish and spread all over. Starting with the largest, outer cabbage leaves, lay each cabbage leaf flat. Take about 1/3 cup of filling and roughly shape it into an oval shape, about 4-inches long. (For some of the larger leaves, use up to ½ cup of filling.) Place the oval in the center a cabbage leaf, just above where the rib was cut. Fold the sides of the cabbage leaf over the filling and roll up into a little bundle (start rolling at the cut side, over into the uncut side). Place seam side down over top of the sauce in the baking dish. Repeat until each cabbage leaf is used. Drizzle the remainder of the sauce all over.
• Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the meat is cooked through. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes, if you like.

STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Place cabbage, core-side down, in an 8- to 10-cup microwave-safe casserole dish. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and microwave on high until outer leaves are soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and cool.
• While the cabbage is cooling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine ground beef, pork, veal, rice, onion, parsley, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon each of thyme, basil, and oregano; mix until well combined.
• Remove 12 outer leaves from the cooled cabbage and trim the thick stems to make them easier to roll.
• Divide meat mixture into 12 equal portions. Place 1 portion on the stem end of each cabbage leaf. Roll up the leaves and fold in the ends. Place rolls, seam-sides down, in a single layer in a casserole dish.
• Combine crushed tomatoes with remaining thyme, basil, and oregano and pour over cabbage rolls.
• Cover and bake in the preheated oven until meat is cooked through, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (71 degrees C). Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.