stuffed cabbage Archives - Proud Italian Cook

Stuffed Cabbage, Italian Style

March 5, 2021 by Marie 5 Comments

It’s March, and you’re going to see lots of cabbage in the supermarkets. I encourage you to pick up a large head and try my twist on stuffed cabbage Italian style. This is not to say that the traditional version isn’t any good, this is just my Italian take on it.

The concept is simple, the cabbage is wilted and wrapped around all the makings of your favorite Italian meatball and the sauce is a delicious marinara.

The cabbage I used here was your typical green cabbage, I chose a big head with lots of leaves. Savoy cabbage is another perfect variety to use if you can find one that is on the larger size.

The hardest thing about making stuffed cabbage is blanching the leaves off and to do this you’ll need a big pot of boiling water going. Core the end of the cabbage and submerge the whole thing into the boiling pot and place a cover on top.

After a few minutes remove the cover and peel off as many leaves as you can and drain on paper towels. Repeat the whole process until you have the number of leaves you want. The bigger the cabbage, the more leaves you’ll have.

After the leaves cool down place one at a time on a cutting board, pat dry and just cut out that center core so it’s easier to fold them. Then form the shape of a meatball using about 1/2 cup of meat mixture tucking the cabbage all around the sides of the meatball creating a round shape instead of the traditional log shape.

Here’s where you can really get creative! You can use your own family favorite meatball recipe or do a little improvising like I did with the ingredients above. I used 2 pounds of ground beef for this recipe, it was an 80/20 mix but ground sirloin works great as well as ground pork and turkey. Because of my large head of cabbage I was able to yield 14 rolls in total.

This post is meant to inspire you with the ingredients I used, or if you like, change things up with some of your favorites. For instance, using small chunks of mozzarella instead of the provolone cheese, or eliminate the cooked rice for breadcrumbs or even riced cauliflower. I always like to add a generous amount of grated pecorino, a couple of tablespoons of marinara, a good handful of fresh parsley and enough garlic so you can really taste it, you get the picture, flavor it up good!

Tuck your wilted cabbage all around your meatball and then place them seam side down in a pool of marinara.

Spoon additional marinara ( homemade or a good quality store bought) on top of each roll, sprinkle pecorino on top and a nice drizzle of olive oil all over.

Cover your baking dish completely with foil and place into a pre-heated 360 degree oven for around 40 minutes. Uncover and test to see if a tip of a knife goes though easily.

When finished cooking let it rest for a few minutes then garnish with parsley or basil and enjoy!

I hope you’ve been inspired to make my Italian style version of stuffed cabbage!

5 Comments Filed Under: Meats, Vegetables Tagged: cabbage, cabbage rolls, Italian style, stuffed cabbage

Stuffed Cabbage Cake

November 13, 2014 by Marie 36 Comments

I have to say right off the bat that this post was solely inspired by a photo I saw in the beautiful new cookbook by Mimi Thorisson, A Kitchen In France. In fact the recipe name she calls it is, Chou Farci.

Instead of individual rolls of stuffed cabbage like most of us are use to seeing, her recipe was made and molded into a cake-like form by building layers of meat and vegetable filling and then wrapping it all into a beautiful little package of lacy savoy cabbage leaves.

After reading her recipe, which I’m sure is quite delicious, I thought it would be fun to make my Italian style version of this stuffed cabbage cake just the way I make my own stuffed cabbage.

You’ll need a round, deep souffle or casserole dish because you’re going to layer the bottom and sides with the cabbage leaves as well as each layer of filling and the top. After it’s baked together you let it rest a bit, then invert it onto a serving plate.

All the filling stays neatly contained inside the wrapped cabbage leaves. It looks like there’s a cute little tree on top doesn’t it?

But I just couldn’t keep it unadorned, so I decided to embellish it with warm marinara and freshly grated parmesan cheese, just like frosting on a cake!

This way of presenting stuffed cabbage takes a simple meal and elevates it to something very special. You can try Mimi’s version, or use a filling that your own family would like, the sky’s the limit! Just follow the directions for the cabbage layout and you’re good to go.

NOTE AND UPDATE

For some reason I’m not able to edit my recipe but please note to add in the rice along with the meat, #4 in the instructions.

Here’s my Italian style version.

Stuffed Cabbage Cake

Ingredients

1 head of savoy cabbage, it has pretty lacy leaves
1½ pound of good quality ground beef or turkey
1 onion, diced
1 small red pepper, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup of grated romano or parmesan cheese
½ cup of marinara sauce plus extra for topping mold and plating
1 cup of cooked rice
1 egg
olive oil
fresh chopped basil and parsley, a small bunch of each
salt and pepper

Instructions

Core and separate the leaves from the savoy cabbage, then cook them in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, pat dry and set aside.
Grease the bottom and sides of a deep souffle type dish and then arrange the prettiest and largest leaf on the bottom. Place another leaf on top of that and up the sides of the dish all around.
In a large saute pan cook your meat until you see no pink, if it needs to be drained of added grease do so and set aside.
Add olive oil to the pan and cook the onions, carrots, garlic and diced red pepper until soft, then toss it all together with the cooked meat.
Add the grated cheese, marinara and fresh herbs, toss til well coated, let it cool then toss in the egg.
Put your first layer down, about ½ inch then layer a cabbage leaf on top. Repeat until you reach the top or run out of filling.
Finish with cabbage on top making sure to tuck it in the dish all around.
Drizzle the top with olive oil, salt and pepper and a sprinkling of romano cheese all over.
Bake at 350 for around 40 minutes.
Let it rest then invert a serving plate over the souffle dish, then flip it over.
Cut into slices and serve with additional warmed marinara and more grated cheese.

36 Comments Filed Under: Meats, Rice and Risotto, Vegetables Tagged: cabbage cake, savoy cabbage, stuffed cabbage

Pork and Cabbage Involtini with a Spring Vegetable Side

April 9, 2014 by Marie 7 Comments

Even though it’s officially spring the weather is always fluctuating here so it often dictates what we eat. When it’s sunny and warm my first choice is to go out and grill something, but when it’s cool, rainy and dreary there’s no doubt dinner will be inside simmering on my stove.

That’s how this cabbage dish came about. You might think of stuffed cabbage/ involtini as only a hearty winter dish filled with meat and rice, but actually this version minus the rice and some breadcrumbs was light and super delicious, perfect for a cool spring evening!

This recipe comes courtesy of Debi Mazar and her Tuscan born husband Gabriele Corcos via their cooking show, Extra Virgin, one of the few shows I watch on The Cooking Channel. The original recipe is here, I adapted it slightly.

Little bundles of ground pork seasoned with scallions, garlic, romano cheese and parsley wrapped tightly with a tender leaf of savoy cabbage simmering in a flavorful garlic and basil marinara sauce. This is good, really good!

I thought a nice medley of spring green vegetables would complement the involtini and I was right, it was all that I needed to complete the meal.

I used a mixture of asparagus, artichoke hearts, and fava beans roasted together with olive oil and shaved garlic. FYI, Trader Joe’s has precooked frozen fava beans for a short time, I still had to peel the outer skins off but they were really good.

Rain or shine you’re going to love this!

Pork and Cabbage Involtini with a Spring Vegetable Side

Ingredients

INVOLTINI
1 head savoy cabbage
1 pound good ground pork
2 eggs
3 scallions, sliced small
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¾ cup grated romano cheese
1 handful parsley, chopped
SAUCE
1 quart of homemade marinara or an outstanding store bought one for convenience,
I make mine with crushed whole canned tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, olive oil, chopped garlic and fresh basil.

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Carefully separate the best 12 leaves from your savoy cabbage
Rinse, then add them in batches, to the boiling water for 2 minutes
Remove leaves and quickly rinse under cold water, then pat dry
Mix together the pork, scallions, eggs, garlic, romano cheese and parsley in a large bowl, then season with salt and pepper.
Lay a leaf of cabbage on a cutting board, trim the thick stem at the bottom and place 2 generous tablespoons of the pork mixture in the middle.Roll up the leaf, tucking in the sides.
Place seem side down on a plate until all leaves are completed.
If your marinara is premade just pour some into the bottom of a heavy skillet with sides and lid.
If you need to make your own, pour ¼ cup of olive oil on bottom of the pan add 4 or 5 cloves of chopped garlic, let it sizzle a little then pour in your 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt, then add in some torn fresh basil leaves.
Place the involtini on top of the sauce, nestle them in seam side down and turn heat to a low simmer, spooning some sauce on each bundle.
Place a lid on top and cook until meat is cooked through and cabbage is tender.
Garnish with fresh basil and grated romano cheese.
.

7 Comments Filed Under: Meats, Vegetables Tagged: gluten free, involtini, spring vegetables, stuffed cabbage

Stuffed Cabbage with Basil White Wine Cream Sauce

November 9, 2010 by Marie 32 Comments

I told you I’ve been stuffing things! Stuffed cabbage is something I make a few times over the fall and winter season, ultimate comfort food, warm and satisfying little bundles filled with meat, cheese, vegetables and herbs usually covered in a light tomato sauce but this time I wanted to change it up and replace it with and a basil white wine sauce. The wine sauce definitely elevated this dish to a different level!

My cabbage of choice is always savoy, I love the look of it’s lacy patterned veins and crinkled leaves, it tastes great and cooks up perfectly, of course other cabbage would work just as well.
For this recipe I used one HUGE cabbage and it made 15 rolls.
Preparing the Cabbage
Core as much of the cabbage possible before the actual steaming. Do not remove the outer leaves. Steam the whole cabbage in a large pot with approximately three inches of water. As the leaves soften, remove them one at a time to a large platter. Steaming the whole cabbage should take about thirty minutes. Cabbage leaves should be softened but not mushy. When cabbage has cooled enough to handle, use a paring knife and pare the thick base of the cabbage leaf. Set aside the tough outer leaves of the cabbage.

Stuffing Mixture

1lb. of ground turkey, I like to brown mine up a little beforehand

1/2 cup grated asiago cheese

1/4 cup of grated parmesan or romano cheese

1/2 chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 diced red pepper

10 oz of cooked brown rice or cauliflower rice

Salt and pepper

Grated lemon zest, fresh parsley and basil

Basil White Wine Cream Sauce

Saute 2 shallots in 1 tablespoon of butter, deglaze with a healthy splash of white wine, then add to that 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth and equal amounts of cream and whisk. Snip fresh basil into the sauce and let it reduce down until thickened, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Note: If cream is not your thing, you can make a bechamel with lowfat milk instead, but don’t forget the wine!

Stuff each cabbage leaf and then fold them over like a burrito, place rolls seam side down in a baking dish that has some chicken broth on the bottom and a small amount of the sauce, drizzle cabbage rolls with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, grated parmesan, salt and pepper. Cover loosely with foil and bake around 45 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

When finished baking place your cabbage rolls into a pool of sauce spooning some over the top.

The majority of the sauce is used as a finishing sauce because I found that if you pour it all over and then bake it, during the baking process it tends to break down and you sure don’t want to miss out on swiping each bite into that creamy luscious sauce now do you?

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

32 Comments Filed Under: Rice and Risotto, Vegetables Tagged: basil cream sauce, cabbage, savoy cabbage, stuffed cabbage

Savoy Cabbage, Sauteed and Stuffed

December 12, 2009 by Marie 23 Comments

This side dish of savoy cabbage is one I’ve been making for as long as I can remember, it’s my absolute favorite way to eat cabbage. Simple, rustic, quick and easy, but the taste is phenomenal!

You start off toasting up some bread crumbs in olive oil in a small skillet, then you add in a generous amount of grated Grana Padana Parmigiano cheese, fresh parsley, salt, pepper, then set this all aside.

Meanwhile, take a larger skillet, drizzle in some olive oil, toss in minced garlic and sliced sweet onions, add in your partially precooked and sliced up savoy cabbage, keep tossing until tender and soft, then sprinkle in your toasted breadcrumb mixture, drizzle with more olive oil, and add more parsley. That’s it! This goes especially well with an herb roasted pork loin.

I love the mild sweet flavor of savoy cabbage, and just look at those vitamin enriched crinkled leaves. Did you know it’s considered one of the best for eating?

Not only good as a side dish, but equally delicious as a main course. I like to stuff mine Italian style and top it off with a spicy arrabiata sauce.

To remove the leaves, take the whole head, cut off the stem, turn it upside down in a pot of boiling water, cover it and cook for 10 minutes. Take the whole head out and let the steam continue cooking it until it cools down so you can touch it, then start to peel off the leaves, cutting the hard core off each one.

I decided to go healthy here and used cooked brown rice along with ground turkey that I had browned beforehand, adding in of course garlic and onion.

Fresh parsley was then added to the turkey rice mixture, along with fresh snipped basil, salt, pepper and grated Grana Padana cheese. I also spooned in in some of my arrabiata sauce to make the mixture a little juicy. Place a good size scoop on your presteamed leaves that have been cored, and place a couple cubes of fontinella cheese on top, provolone would work also. Of course you can use ground beef, white rice, or any red sauce that you like in place of what I used for this recipe.

Place your rolls in a greased casserole dish with sauce spread on bottom, place more sauce on top of your rolls, along with grated cheese and a drizzle more of olive oil. Bake covered with tin foil in a 375 degree oven until heated through.

All the flavors really come through in this dish, the sweetness of the cabbage, the distinct taste of each cheese, the fresh herbs, onions, garlic, and that mildly spicy sauce to top it all off. I think you’re going to love it!