Feature Recipe | Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Since the internet would have you believe that making cabbage rolls can be extremeley cumbersome I wanted to develop a recipe packed with flavour but easy enough to make as a weeknight meal. The trick? 
*Simplify your approach: one pot, one skillet and one casserole dish is all you need to whip up this impressive dish!
*Use the tried-and-true method of boiling your head of cabbage for 2 minutes, drain, cool and peel 
*Skip hours of simmering your tomato sauce on the stove and instead create a deliciously simple tomato sauce by blending ready-made puréed tomato sauce with a can of fire-roasted tomatoes.

To mimic traditional beef filling this recipe calls for Yves’ original ground round (sautéed in garlic, onions and veggies), a wild rice blend, my keep-it-simple tomato sauce and trio of dry spices (dill weed, celery seed and parsley). The chia “egg” helps to bind the filling together while adding a nutrient boost! The result is a rich, flavour-packed cabbage roll that will make you put cabbage at the top of your produce shopping list!

From Gardein to Field Roast and everything in between there has never been more plant-based options available so HOLD THE BEEF! Choose your favourite ground round and savour one of our “can’t believe it’s not meat” dishes: 

Ultimate Vegan Hamburger Helper
Spaghetti Pie with Tofu Ricotta Cheese 
Heavenly Stuffed

Enjoy~

Ingredients

• 1 head of cabbage, boiled & leaves peeled (see Recipe Notes)
• 1 chia egg
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 can diced/crushed tomatoes (28oz)
• 1 680g jar tomato sauce
• Olive oil  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• Pinch of Himalalyan pink salt 
• 1 pkg Yves Veggie Cuisine Ground Round (340g)
• 1 tsp dill weed
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Method 

Prep It

1/Prepare a chia egg: In a small prep bowl combine 2 Tbsp chia seeds and 3 Tbsp lukewarm water. Let sit at room temperature.
2/In a large prep bowl blend the canned tomatoes and jar of tomato sauce; set aside.
3/Add a glug of olive oil to a skillet on medium-low heat. Toss minced garlic, chopped onion, carrot and celery into the skillet (along with a pinch of salt). Sauté until fragrant and veggies are tender.
4/Add ground round (or similar), ½ tsp each of dry spices (dill weed, celery seed & dried parsley) and salt to the skillet. Drizzle olive oil over the mixture and pan fry the ground round until well cooked.
5/Remove skillet from heat. Add 2 cups cooked rice, half of the canned tomato-tomato sauce mixture, reserved chia egg and ½ tsp each dry spices (dill week, celery seed and dried parsley) to the mixture. Combine well.  Your filling is ready.
6/Preheat oven to 350F.

Make It

1/Spread half remaining canned tomato-tomato sauce mixture in a deep-dish casserole/baking dish.
2/Prepare cabbage rolls:
-Lay each cabbage leaf flat. Spoon 1-2 Tbsp beef-rice-tomato filling into the middle of leaf. Fold in sides of the cabbage leaf; roll up top and bottom unfolded edges to completely enclose filling. 
-Place each cabbage roll seam side down in the baking dish.
– Repeat with each cabbage leaf until your dish is full. 
3/Spread remaining tomato mixture over prepared cabbage rolls. 
4/Bake cabbage rolls for 75-90 minutes or until tomato sauce is bubbling and cabbage is tender.

Serve It 

Plate your cabbage rolls with a lovely salad and/or side of soup! For a more casual approach, cut each cabbage roll into large pieces and toss into a creamy tomato soup! 

Recipe Notes

(1)Handy method for boiling your head of cabbage: 

–Cut ¼ inch off the bottom of the cabbage head.  
-Place head of cabbage in boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes.
-Place cabbage head in colander. Rinse with cool water. 
-Peel off softened leaves.
-Remove thick vein from each cabbage leaf (for easier rolling) 
Note: Repeat as necessary until all leaves are removed.

(2)This recipe was tested using a Wild Rice blend. As a general guideline 1 cup uncooked wild rice = 3 cups cooked wild rice. To cook wild rice, use three parts water to one part rice. This handy link is a great resource for rice conversions and equivalents.