Below is a dinner we had last week that makes use of “in season” produce: cabbage and Italian kale. It also demonstrates my frugal habits.
Italian Stuffed Cabbage
This dish goes well with mashed potatoes. I served Mashed Potatoes with Kale to make the dish a bit healthier, plus we like mashed potatoes mixed with greens. Swiss chard also works well. See the recipe below.
Makes 8 rolls
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cabbage
Meat Filling
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef, turkey or chicken
- ½ cup shredded carrot
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- ¼ cup dried Italian bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup cubed mozzarella cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sauce
- 2 cups strained or crushed Italian tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (chili)
- Half of a small onion, sliced thin
Directions
Prepare the cabbage:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Discard any discolored or broken outer cabbage leaves. Remove the cabbage core and carefully peel 8 large leaves off the head. Blanch leaves for 1 minute (half at time), until wilted and spread them out on kitchen towels so that they dry and cool.
I saved the rest of the cabbage for our St. Patrick’s Day dinner.
Make the filling:
Combine all the meat filling ingredients with a pinch or two of salt and black pepper.
Make the cabbage rolls:
Form some of the meat filling mixture into a golf ball-sized rounds and place on the cooled cabbage leaves. Fold in the sides of the cabbage leaves and roll up jelly roll style wrapping the cabbage around the filling.. Repeat with the remaining leaves and mixture.
Make the sauce:
In a casserole dish large enough to hold the cabbage rolls, combine the sauce ingredients.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Add the cabbage packages, arranging them carefully in the pan so that the stuffing remains intact. Cover the dish with foil a and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Uncover the baking dish and continue to bake for 15 minutes more.
Mashed Potatoes With Kale
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and peeled
- Salt
- 1 pound (1 large bunch) kale, either curly or cavolo nero, with the ribs removed and the leaves washed
- 1-1/4 cups low-fat milk
- 2 garlic cloves
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Cover the potatoes with water in a saucepan, add 1/2 tablespoon of salt and the garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover partially and cook until tender about 30 to 40 minutes. Drain off the water, return the potatoes with the garlic to the pan and mash with a potato masher.
While the potatoes are cooking bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and add the kale. Cook the kale for 4 to 6 minutes (after the water returns to the boil) until the leaves are tender but still bright green. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop into small pieces and add the olive oil.
Stir the chopped kale into the hot mashed potatoes along with the milk. Add salt to taste and freshly ground pepper.
Ocean Bream
I love stuffed cabbage, but have never eaten the Italian kind, only the Arabian kind. Luckily my mother has a giant cabbage in her fridge which needs to be eaten before she goes away so I know what we are having for dinner tonight! 🙂 Yours looks so mouthwatering. Thanks for sharing.
Jovina Coughlin
Yes the Italian versions are different from Eastern Europe and my version is even more different. I like the dish to have a lot of flavor and for me it is adding lots of Italian ingredients. Hope you like the recipe.
Ocean Bream
I love a lot of flavour too, so this recipe is definitely appealing! 🙂
memadtwo
Interesting to see the Italian version. I make the Jewish version taught to me by my mother. The meat stuffing has rice and onion and the tomato sauce is a sort of sweet and sour with the addition of brown sugar and cider vinegar. I am inspired to try your version, the shredded carrots and cheese sound very delicious! Thanks! N.
Jovina Coughlin
Yes most stuffed cabbage recipes call for rice but I am not a fan of rice in this dish, so I substitute with a few other ingredients that I think add texture and flavor. Sometimes I just like something different and utilize what I have in the refrigerator to change a dish a bit. Hope you like it like we do.
memadtwo
I am sure we will!
Anne
I also love the idea of using something other than rice with the ground beef. The potato variation sounds good, too, with that kale addition. I am saving these recipes to try when I return from vacation.
Jovina Coughlin
Yes the ingredients should still be available in your area with the cooler weather up north. My kids have always liked the mashed potato/greens combo. I bet yours will also. It really goes so well with the cabbage. Have fun.
Anne
It’s cold here in Michigan, so it seemed like a good time to try the stuffed cabbage. My husband said, “u-u-m-m-m-m” repeatedly; definitely a hit!
Jovina Coughlin
Thank you so much for letting me know this recipe works for you. Glad for the approval from your hubby.
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
I guess you could say we make the “German” version and we call it pigs in the blanket. 🙂 My mother-in-law is 100 % German although she was born in the states. My father-in-law has had quite a bit of German in him also — lots of potatoes, sausage, sauerkraut, etc. When hubby and I married our cuisine became more Italian 🙂 Great recipe Jovina!! Buona Pasqua.
Jovina Coughlin
I imagine every country has a version of stuffed cabbage. It is funny but in our house Italian became the favorite also. Thanks Marisa.
Wendie Donabie
Your mashed potato and kale looks great…It’s fits in our VEGAN diet.. .Thanks!!!
Jovina Coughlin
Definitely fits – you can even leave out the milk and add extra olive oil. Thanks Wendie
Wendie Donabie
Actually we don’t use oil in our diet either. We follow Dr. Esselstein’s “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Diet”. Both of us have lost weight and my husband is off all of his medications. Our local cardiologist holds weekly lunch and learns that got us started. We substiture vegetable broth for sauteeing and sometimes, just using a non-stick pan works. For many recipes we can substitute almond, or other non-dairy milk when cow’s milk is listed.
Jovina Coughlin
Yes I am aware of nondairy liquids, but didn’t know you were avoiding olive oil So vegetable broth would work well in making the potatoes smooth. Good news about your diet and good health.
White House Red Door
Two fantastic dishes! It’s so interesting to see each country’s version of a similar food. I like your take on mashed potatoes! In Ireland, there is a very closely related dish called colcannon- mashed potato with cabbage.
Jovina Coughlin
Yes many dishes are similar throughout the world with just slightly different ingredients. Thank you for your comment.
ravenhawks magazine
Reblogged this on ravenhawks' magazine and commented:
I love Kale but never considered it with mashed potatoes, must try this.
Jittery Cook
I call stuffed cabbage halishkas. And I love halishkas. Can’t wait to try your version!
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Oldman
Looks great! I love cooking with available seasonal local produce!
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