Stuffed cabbage is one of the most quintessential Ashkenazi Jewish dishes. It’s a comfort food for many families and around Sukkot and Simchat Torah, it is one of the traditional foods to enjoy.
Stuffed cabbage can be made many ways – with more meat than rice, more rice than meat, no rice at all, in a sweet sauce, in a savory sauce, or in this case, a tangy sweet and sour sauce.
Looking for more recipes? Check out these 8 recipes including vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and slow-cooker options.
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Ingredients
1 large green cabbage For the stuffing: 3/4 cup uncooked rice 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 lb ground beef 1 small onion or 1/2 large onion, finely chopped (around 1 cup) 1 Tbsp finely minced garlic 2 eggs 2 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper For the sauce: 2 cups plain tomato sauce 1 large onion, finely chopped 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 lemon, cut into pieces (rind left on) 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white vinegar 2 cups water 1 1/2 tsp saltDirections
Add water and rice to medium saucepan over high heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil and pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then immediately cover and reduce to low heat. Cook without stirring for 16-18 minutes. Turn off heat, then fluff rice. While rice is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully core cabbage using a paring knife. Plunge head of cabbage into boiling water for 30-60 seconds, until each outer leaf can be easily peeled off. Place cabbage leaves on a baking sheet until cooled and ready to assemble. Repeat with entire head of cabbage. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine ground beef, rice, onion, garlic, eggs, salt and pepper. In another bowl, combine sauce ingredients and stir well. Prepare cabbage leaves by removing the tough stem in the middle. Cover bottom of an 8x13 pyrex baking dish with thin layer of sauce. Scoop rice mixture into approximately 1/2-cup-size ovals (smaller leaves might require less filling). Place filling in the middle of the cabbage leaf and fold sides in. Roll cabbage leaf and place seam side down in pan. Repeat with remaining cabbage leaves and filling. You may have some cabbage left over. You can discard, add to soup or chop up and add to sauce if desired. Add remaining sauce over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours, until color of cabbage has changed, sauce has reduced slightly and cabbage rolls can easily be cut into. Variation: place cabbage rolls and sauce in slow cooker and cook on high setting for 4 hours.Ashkenazi
Pronounced: AHSH-ken-AH-zee, Origin: Hebrew, Jews of Central and Eastern European origin.
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