What to do with a Whole Head of Cabbage?

Part of the reason that I wanted to start blogging is because I have a wide range of interests, well really more like an interest in cooking bloggers. So I am going to share my first recipe!

I ended up with a rather large head of cabbage from my local CSA and thought to myself, what the heck do you do with an entire large head of cabbage, besides make a ton of coleslaw? I for one, am not a huge cabbage fan, but refuse to just throw it away, or even give it away for that matter. It was time to get creative.

After poking around online I decided that I was going to make stuffed cabbage. Sounded like something I would eat. I wanted it to be savory and hearty without being too cabbagey. The biggest thing is once it was made, would I bother to make it again after tasting it and my conclusion is yes. It was hearty (one stuffed leaf filled me up) flavorful and easy to make.

So here is what I ended up with:

Savory Stuffed Cabbage

Makes 10 Rolls
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1 head of cabbage
1 roll of sausage (16 oz I think)
3-5 medium sized potatoes cooked until soft and cut into chunks (think bite sized)
1 egg
1/2 c. chopped onions
1/2 c. chopped green peppers
1 1/2 tsp. salt or more to taste
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. ground rosemary or 1 tsp. chopped
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
1/2-1 c. chicken broth or liquid of choice

Directions:
1. Cut core out of cabbage and place in pot of boiling water for 7-10 minutes. Remove from water and place on a plate to cool some before handling.
This will allow you to peel the cabbage layers and roll them much easier. Just a heads up, it will make your house smell like cabbage for a bit.

2. Take potatoes, sausage, egg, onion, pepper and seasonings and mix together in a bowl. Much easier to use your hands, kind of like making a meatloaf.

3. Spray bottom of 13x9 glass baking dish with Pam (just-in-case)

4. Gently peel first leaf off of cabbage place open on a plate and plop two heaping spoonfuls of the sausage mix into the center of the leaves (about 2/3-1c. of mix).

5. Starting with the sides, fold in, then roll from thin side toward the stem (thick part). Kind of like rolling a burrito.

6. Place stem/seam side down in baking dish and continue rolling until all the mix is used. I ended up with extra cabbage, still not sure what to do with that, suggestions will be appreciated!

7. Pour broth over cabbage rolls and then bake at 350 for 30 min covered and 30 min un-covered. Be sure to cover them or the leaves will dry out and not steam all the way.

*I made them earlier in the day and placed them in the fridge until I was ready to cook. I also plan on freezing the leftovers. You could probably make them the night before if you wanted, but I wouldn't make them any earlier than that because of the raw meat.

*You could probably replace the potatoes with stuffing mix (2 c. prepared) and go lighter on the seasonings if you don't want to use potatoes. You could even used left over mashed potatoes.




Enjoy :)