St.Patrick’s Day has come and gone but you don’t need an Irish holiday to enjoy a tasty and healthy cabbage dish. Invite some friends over and make this delicious, hearty meal!

This dish is very nutritious: brown rice, vegetables and lean ground turkey stuffed inside cabbage! You will feel good eating it. Although the filling is simple, the rolls combined with the tomato sauce result in a flavorful dish.

Cabbage often gets a bad wrap for its odor when cooked, but this recipe transforms the cabbage into a sweet, mild flavor. The health benefits of consuming cabbage are impressive. It’s full of powerful cancer-fighting antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber and it’s the perfect low calorie vehicle for that great filling.

Many nationalities have laid claim to the infamous cabbage roll and there is much debate on the subject. Italy, Poland, Greece, Germany, Ukraine, Sweden and several other countries all have their own version of the dish. Whatever the case, you can make it your own with a variety of vegetables and meat options in the filling. This is the perfect meal to make with the help of friends or family. One person can work on the filling, one the tomato sauce and another can take care of sorting the cabbage leaves. As it bakes in the oven for an hour, you’ll have a chance to relax and catch up with your guests.

If cabbage rolls are new to you, or if they’re an old family favorite, you will enjoy making and eating this healthy meal!

 

Super Healthy Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Serves 6 

Cabbage Rolls:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
½ cup carrot, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
½ pound spicy Italian turkey sausage (casings removed)
½ pound ground turkey
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 large green cabbage (about 2 ½ pounds)

Tomato Sauce:
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 

DIRECTIONS:

To make the filling: Place a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add carrot, celery and garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. To the bowl, add the cooked rice, parsley, uncooked meat, salt and pepper and stir well to combine.

To make the sauce: Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add tomatoes, sugar and vinegar and simmer for about 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

To make cabbage rolls: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove outer leaves of cabbage and set aside. Cut our core with a sharp knife and carefully remove the rest of the leaves, keeping them whole and undamaged as possible. Blanch the leaves for 2-3 minutes until pliable. Place leaves in a colander and rinse with cold water. Continue with remaining leaves. Trim thick center vein from bottom of each leaf. Reserve a few of the large outer leaves to line bottom of pan (will help prevent cabbage rolls from burning when baked). Put ½ cup of filling in the center of each cabbage leaf. Fold sides of cabbage over filling and starting at stem end, roll the cabbage up. Place cabbage rolls seam side down, side by side, in a casserole pan. Repeat with remaining filling and leaves.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drizzle cabbage rolls with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and pour tomato sauce over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour or until meat is cooked.

Yield: 12 rolls.

 

Inspired from a recipe by Food Network’s Tyler Florence and Martha Stewart