Mom's Stuffed Cabbage with Pancetta and Pecorino Romano

By VerneJ

Mom's Stuffed Cabbage is an Italian classic. Bright green cabbage leaves rolled with homemade Arrabbiata sauce with pancetta and Pecorino Romano.

Ingredients

• Green cabbage, leaves separated
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, freshly ground, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces Pancetta, chopped
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, freshly grated
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried currants
• 1 cup Fat Boy breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons dried basil, divided
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme, divided

Details

Servings 4
Cooking time 120mins
Adapted from abc.go.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and season with salt to taste like the sea. Blanch the cabbage until tender and bright green, about 5 minutes. Shock in ice water and set aside to dry. Remove leaves.

In a large sauté pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook until the fat renders out and the pancetta crisps. Add the onion, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant. Add a teaspoon of dried thyme and dried basil. Add the tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt. Simmer until it comes together, about 5 minutes, and then set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, sausage, Pecorino, parsley, currants, a teaspoon of dried basil and thyme, breadcrumbs, and egg. Season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper. Using your hands, mix until just combined.

In a baking dish lightly greased with olive oil, ladle a thin layer of the Arrabbiata sauce.

Spoon some of the filling into each of the leaves of cabbage, and roll up. Arrange over the Arrabbiata sauce in the baking dish. Once full, ladle more of the Arrabbiata sauce over the stuffed cabbage and sprinkle with more Pecorino Romano. Transfer to oven and bake for an hour to an hour and a half, until the filling is completely cooked through. Serve.

TIPS:
Boil the cabbage core side down for 15 minutes

Use whatever meats you have on hand (ground turkey, lamb, tofu, etc.)

Be careful not to overcook! If they’re left in the oven a little longer than the stated cooking time, they’ll become a little drier.