Thursday, January 7, 2010

UNSTUFFED CABBAGE AND NEW FRIENDS




I enjoy stuffed cabbage and have tried, largely unsuccessfully, to make it several times. Trying to judge the cooking time for a whole head of cabbage proved difficult. Peeling the leaves off al dente cabbage was a nightmare. Cutting out the thick vein without destroying the symmetry of the cabbage leaf was beyond my capabilities. The last time I made stuffed cabbage each roll was a different size and shape from the others and I swore I'd never make it again, though I toyed briefly with the idea of a lasagna-like stuffed cabbage.

Then came the January 10th issue of Family Circle and a recipe for "unstuffed" cabbage. I immediately clipped the recipe and added a small head of cabbage to my grocery list. I'm sure you can adapt this simple recipe for the crockpot and come home to a delicious meal. DSO no sooner opened the door, then he called out, "What smells so good?"

I'm posting the recipe as I made it, with a few changes in the method.

6 Servings, 4 WW points per serving
1 lb lean (93%) ground beef
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can (28 oz) stewed tomatoe
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 small head cabbage, shredded (about 8 cups)

Heat a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the beef and cook for 6 minutes, until no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain any fat, then add the onion and cook 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Drain the stewed tomatoes and crush them with your fingers. Add those along with the tomato paste and 1 cup of water, the parsley, salt, pepper, oregano, and sugar. Simmer 5 minutes.

Add half the shredded cabbage and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir, the add the remaining shredded cabbage and simmer, covered, for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans.
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TASTE NOTES
WOW!  It may not look too "purty," but it sure tasted good. Both DSO and I enjoyed this dinner immensely. In fact, I thought that it was more flavorful than regular stuffed cabbage since the seasonings and tomato sauce melded with the ground beef and cabbage rather than just sitting on top of it. The fact that the dish is so healthy (low calorie, low fat, high in fiber) is a plus. I loved eating it over the mashed potatoes; Larry has requested that when I make it again I serve it over noodles. One thing we both agree on:  I'll be making it again.
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One of the pleasures of food blogging is the opportunity to meet so many lovely people. I think we all look forward to the comments that are left on our blogs and to discovering wonderful food and new ideas from all over the blogosphere--and the world. Since becoming a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher, I've had the opportunity to make some new friends and to discover some great new blogs. Among my new friends is the lovely "Sprinkle Queen" at Vanillastrawberryspringfields. This new friend has graced me with not one, but two lovely awards and I thank her so much. Her posts are great fun to read and she shares lots of great food photos to go with her recipes. So I thank you, my new friend, and am keeping fingers and toes crossed that you win that cupcake contest.

17 comments:

  1. I am bookmarking this! I love stuffed cabbage, but don't like the fiddly act of rolling the cabbage. So, this is perfect.!

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  2. Oh i ve never tried a stuffed cabbage recipe but with ur unstuffed cabbage make u a domestic goddess,yeah truly all this time thought only a Nigella lawson could some cute wonders as these-u top it here...
    And that was sweet and i didn expect that ok...jus wanted u to have the awards and like 'm...rest doesn matter honestly...
    cheers

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  3. Are you sure you don't want to serve your unstuffed cabbage with a side of peas? (Haha) My mom loves to make stuffed cabbage and we usually eat them over rice. I've always been scared of my making the cabbage rolls myself. This is the perfect recipe for those of us who want the taste and flavor but none of the hassle. I bet it is delicious with mashed potatoes. If I could only get my husband aboard the cabbage train! In the meantime, I'm going to share this recipe with my mom who likes to spend less time in the kitchen lately.

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  4. This cabbage dish is making my Ukrainian side vibrate, Arlene. It looks and sounds so heartily delicious! I think I'd serve it over rice as that is what my mom put inside her stuffed cabbage, along with the meat.

    Congrats on you awards and for being a Food Buzz publisher!

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  5. The unstuffed cabbage sounds super yummy, I'm looking forward to making it very soon!

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  6. wow... what a great recipe. And the mashed potatoes.... yum.

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  7. Now that looks like comfort food. Maybe I'll give a go at veggie-izing it.

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  8. Oh, I just saw that Sassy Radish did stuffed cabbage too!

    http://www.sassyradish.com/2010/01/stuffed-cabbage/#more-760

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  9. This looks really good. I've bookmarked this for a lazy day.

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  10. Hola Querida. Happy New Year. Stuffed or un-stuffed, this dish sounds delicious. Must try it.

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  11. This looks really good - nice that it's without all the headaches of making stuffed cabbage!

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  12. I make this with ground turkey and a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg. It's ready good.

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  13. yummy..... I printed this out and will try this as well... My cabbage rolls are different sizes too but who cares.. My family don't
    . In fact they always say maybe 1 more small one... lol

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  14. I'm always looking for ways to love cabbage. It is cheap and of course plentiful in the winter. Cole slaw doesn't do it for me - this recipe is the way to go! Delicious. Bookmarked.

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  15. I love cabbage rolls and this looks so much easier and so good too!

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  16. This looks fantastic! I like stuffed cabbage, but this looks so much easier!

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  17. I made this and it was great, only used mashed pot but will try it with green beans next time and maybe rice. My neighbors who did not care for cabbage loved it also. I added a little hot pepper flakes for added pazazz

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