ITALIAN UNSTUFFED
CABBAGE ROLL CASSEROLE
This is my best unstuffed Cabbage Roll Recipe. I hope you will try it! If you don't want to go to the trouble of filling and rolling cabbage leaves, then this is a great alternative. This recipe is pure comfort food and much easier to make than traditional cabbage rolls. This recipe is richer than most as I added a bit of cream cheese and there is lots of Mozzarella cheese in this casserole.
I made this recipe using the cauli-rice; however, other than for the nutritional value, I would be inclined to say leave it out, as one cannot taste it. I made it optional in the recipe.
If you like your cabbage to have a slight crunch, you can boil the cabbage for less time, but my husband and I prefer soft cabbage.
This recipe would go well with a salad on the side and my Garlic Bread Sticks. Why? Because this casserole is similar to a Cabbage Lasagna, just a little less fussy to make and with a different flavor profile, but not hugely. I added a bit of spice to this casserole in the way of red pepper flakes and black pepper.
The tomato flavor is robust as I used canned tomatoes and tomato paste to flavor the meat. If you are not a fan of canned tomatoes, you can use fresh tomatoes; just weigh them. I often do that when I don't have any canned tomatoes in the pantry, as I usually have some frozen in a Ziploc bag in the amount that would come in a can.
I used red and green bell peppers for the color contrast, but you are welcome to use whatever colors you have on hand.
Parmesan cheese in a canister works well here, but you can use freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
You can add chopped onions to this dish. I didn't because cooked tomatoes and onions give my husband and an upset stomach. His mother before him reacted the same to that combination.
Keep leftovers in the fridge. This casserole can be placed in the freezer once cooked - just cover and seal well.
You will need a large skillet to cook the meat, as you will be adding quite a bit more to it as time goes on. Cook over medium heat. Of my cabbage roll casseroles, this one is the very best recipe I have.
If you like, you can mix the ground meat; use sausage meat and ground beef and mix them. Technically, you could also use ground turkey. This cabbage roll casserole recipe is quite flexible and you can certainly play with the seasonings and sprinkle them in to your heart's content. The next day to heat some of the Italian Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole, just microwave a portion for yourself. I think you will be so pleased with this mixture that I used though.
INGREDIENTS:
10 cups chopped cabbage (2.5 L)
(a medium-sized cabbage)
11/2 lbs lean ground beef (0.680 kg)
(use up to 2 lbs for meatier
version)*
13/4 cups cauli rice, optional (425 mL)**
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, (411 g)
blended smooth in blender
6 oz can tomato paste (180 g)
4 oz cream cheese (125 g)
1/4
cup Parmesan cheese (60 mL)
1/4
cup water (60 mL)
2 tsp dried parsley (10 mL)
11/2 tsp salt (7 mL)
1 tsp black pepper (5 mL)
1/2
tsp Montreal steak spice (2 mL)
1/2
tsp red pepper lakes (2 mL)
3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese (750 mL)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
In large pot of boiling water, add cabbage and boil 6
minutes or until almost tender. Drain in
a colander over a large bowl. Set aside.
In large nonstick frying pan, cook ground beef until
just softening. Remember to break it up
into small pieces with the edge of a firm spatula. Add cauli rice if using, as well as red and
green peppers. Stir in blended tomatoes,
tomato paste, cream cheese (cut into bits), Parmesan cheese, water, parsley,
salt, black pepper, Montreal steak spice and red pepper flakes. Cook until ground beef is cooked through and
the cream cheese is melted, and the meat sauce is thicker.
In deep 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish layer
half the cabbage, half the meat and half the Mozzarella cheese. Repeat.
Cover the dish tightly with foil but without touching the cheese, if
possible, to prevent it sticking to the foil.
Bake about 35 to 40 minutes; a little longer if your cabbage was still
very crunchy after boiling.
Helpful Hints: * If using the larger
amount of meat, remember to add about 1/2 tsp more salt and a bit more of the
rest of the spices. I liked the
casserole as written, but if you have a desire for a meatier version 2 lbs (0.9
kg) will do the trick.
**You
can add the cauli rice for the nutritional aspect; however, don’t expect to
taste it in this casserole. It
disappears to nothingness, so I would be inclined to skip it.
Yield: 9 servings
1
serving
382.7
calories
26.7
g protein
26.4
g fat
2.1 g fiber
8.1
g net carbs
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