Kind of a 1950's Vibe

According to Wikipedia, cabbage rolls have been around for a long time. You can read about that here.

However, when I think of cabbage rolls, there is just something about it that has a 1950's kind of feel. When my husband asked me what was for dinner and I told him I made cabbage rolls, he actually teased me quite a bit. He said, "Really? So, I can tell the guys at work that I had cabbage rolls for dinner last night?"

Well, the joke was on him, because they were awesome. They were really flavorful. Maybe if you're in a 1950's housewife kind of mood, you can make some too!

(Heads up though, they do take awhile to cook, so you won't be able to make these on a busy weeknight)

Classic Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:

1 medium head cabbage (see notes)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion, divided
1 tablespoon butter
2 cans (14.5 oz each) Italian stewed tomatoes (see notes)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tsps salt, divided
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1/4 pound bulk Italian sausage
1/2 cup V8 juice, optional

Directions:

In a Dutch oven, cook cabbage in boiling water for 10 minutes, or until outer leaves are tender; drain. Rinse in cold water; drain. Remove eight large outer leaves (refrigerate remaining cabbage for another use), set aside.

In a large saucepan, saute 1 cup onion in butter until tender. Add the tomatoes, garlic, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the rice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and remaining onion, and salt. Crumble beef and sausage over mixture and mix well.

Remove thick vein from cabbage leaves for easier rolling, if necessary. Place about 1/2 cup meat mixture on each leaf; fold in sides. Starting at an unfolded edge, roll up leaf to completely enclose filling. Place seam side down in a skillet. Top with the sauce.

Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour. Add V8 juice, if desired. Reduce heat to low; cook 20 minutes longer or until rolls are heated through and a thermometer inserted in the filling reads 160 degrees F.

Yield: 4 servings (2 rolls per serving).

Nutrition information: 1 serving (2 rolls) equal 499 calories, 21 g fat, 85 mg cholesterol, 1,845 mg sodium, 49 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 32 g protein.

Source: Taste of Home recipe, found here. Rated 5 stars!

Notes: I originally wanted to make this recipe because I thought it was done in the slow cooker. Having made it, I think it could definitely be done in the slow cooker as well. I'll have to try it one of these days and let you know for sure!

I didn't cook the whole head of cabbage. If I was going to have a ton of leftover cabbage, I wanted it to be fresh rather than already cooked. So, I removed 10 cabbage leaves (just to be on the safe side) and boiled those until they were tender.

I would also suggest using 1 or even 2 extra cans of Italian stewed tomatoes. I felt like there wasn't quite enough sauce for my taste...plus, the sauce is used to braise or cook the beef, so you want plenty to cover the cabbage rolls.

These were really flavorful, and very delicious. Kind of like an American version of the Greek Dolmathes. Good stuff!

By the way, if you want some tips on how to pronounce "Worcestershire," click here. It will be worth your while, I promise (at least if you like Phineas and Ferb).