Grandma’s Stuffed Cabbage

By Addie

“The original comfort food! Cabbage leaves are stuffed with ground beef and rice, then simmered to perfection in a sweet tomato sauce.”

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 medium)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 12 medium-large green cabbage leaves (from 1 large head)
• 2 cans (29-ounce each) tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation

Step 1

Combine the milk, onion, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well. Stir in the beef, rice and ketchup until combined.


Carefully peel the center vein from each cabbage leaf, keeping each leaf in one piece. Immerse the leaves, in batches, in an 8-quart Dutch oven filled with boiling water until the leaves are slightly limp, about 3 minutes. Remove the leaves carefully with a slotted spoon. Drain. Lay the leaves on a flat surface.


Place 1/3 cup beef mixture in the center of each leaf. Fold in the sides over the beef mixture. Roll each leaf into a packet, starting at the end opposite the vein, including the folded sides in the roll.


Drain the water from the pot. Combine the tomato sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice in the pot. Mix well. Place the cabbage rolls, seam side down, in the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover tightly and heat until the beef is cooked through, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer the cabbage rolls to a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Top the cabbage rolls with the warm sauce and serve.