The Experimental Alchemist: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls...with BONUS Tomato Soup Recipe!

It's a good food night when your husband asks that you make the same dish again as soon as possible. I'm not sure what it is about these cabbage rolls, but they just really hit the spot. This dish was inspired by a recipe I saw on my favorite food show of all time: Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. Usually, Zimmern is seeking out the most unusual looking and tasting foods, however, in his Pennsylvania episode, he finds little corners of traditional home cooking that made my mouth water. One tiny Polish mother made simple, but great food, and her specialty was stuffed cabbage rolls. This dish wasn't the best looking, nor did it take up more than a few seconds of screen time, but for some reason, it hit a nerve with me. I had to have it. I have been deeply craving comfort food. The type of food that is simple and warm and makes you feel perfectly content. It isn't too rich, or complicated, or even pretty...it's just right.

I had to look up a couple recipes to find the one I wanted, though I ended up blending a few together. Polish cabbage rolls (traditionally called Golabki) are basically just meat stuffed cabbage leaves covered with a simple tomato sauce. Some of the recipes that I found used pork, others used beef. Some even used V8 as tomato sauce, though that wouldn't be my first choice. I chose to go with beef (because we are a no-pork household), and make my own tomato sauce. I didn't want just any tomato sauce...I wanted perfect tomato sauce that could be eaten straight out of the pot, which, I knew, would make these simple cabbage rolls into something divine.

So, the tomato sauce below is also a great tomato soup. It begs for a crusty baguette and a little cheese. Tomatoes are in season right now, so this recipe would be even better with fresh tomatoes, but canned tomatoes work just as well.

Also, on a little side note, I did, in fact, use simple white rice in the meat filling. I usually cook with brown rice (if we have rice at all), but brown rice would not work well in this case because the rice in this recipe is used mainly as filler. It is important to have a rice that will cook quickly and have a neutral flavor. Brown rice takes too long to cook, is too chewy, and has a very distinct flavor. It would only work in this case if you cooked it before hand, which you can do, but will take more time (and this recipe is already a bit time intensive). I recommend using plain white rice. It will give you the best result.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls:
(Inspired by Ina Garten's Recipe: HERE)

T.E.A's Tomato Sauce (or soup!)
Makes about 3 quarts

2-3 TB olive oil
1 cup carrot, medium dice
1 cup celery, medium dice
1 1/2 - 2 cups onion, medium diced
2 TB fresh parsley, chopped
1 TB fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stem
1 TB fresh oregano leaves, stripped from stem (and chopped if large)

Summer herbs from my garden :)

[OR: 2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano]

5 cloves garlic, chopped
2-4 TB balsamic vinegar (more or less to taste)
2 28oz cans tomatoes (preferable diced. If you have whole can tomatoes, crush them before adding to the pot)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large soup pot, heat 2-3 TB olive oil on medium heat. Add carrot, celery, and onion and a pinch of salt. Stir to cover with oil. Cover and let sweat until soft, about 10 mins.
NOTE: "sweating" is when you allow veggies to release their moisture and cook slowly in their own juices. Covering the pot helps to keep all the liquid in. You don't want your veggies to brown, so if they start to, turn down the heat a little bit and add a little water if needed to stop them from sticking.

You definitely want to trap all that steam!

2. Add about 2-3 TB of balsamic vinegar and stir to coat. Cook for another 2-3 mins or until vinegar has reduced slightly.
3. Add garlic and herbs. Saute for 1-2 mins or until fragrant.

4. Add in tomatoes and enough water to just cover all the veggies. Stir until combined.

5. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 30 mins.
6. Taste and season with more vinegar (if desired) or salt and pepper as needed.
*7. Scoop out 1 cup of sauce and add to meat mixture (see below)
8. Let soup cool slightly, then add to blender (in batches as needed) and blend into a smooth puree.

9. Serve immediately as tomato soup OR return to pot and keep warm until you are ready to pour it over your cabbage rolls.

Meat Filling
Makes about 4 cups

1 pound ground beef (I used 10% fat, though you can use lean if you like)
1/2 cup white rice
1/4 cup onion, small dice
1 egg
1-2 tsp salt, or more to taste
pepper, to taste
1 cup tomato sauce (before you puree it)

1. In a large bowl, add all ingredients and mix well. Set aside for stuffing cabbage leaves.

Cabbage Roll Assembly:

1 head savoy (the one with wavy leaves) or green cabbage
Meat filling
Tomato sauce

casserole dish (or dutch oven if you have one!) for assembly and baking

1. Heat oven to 350F.
2. Heat water in a sauce pot (big enough to fit your cabbage) to boiling.
3. Wash your cabbage and remove outer leaves. Take a sharp paring knife at cut out the core of the cabbage.

4. Turn off the heat on the sauce pot, and add the cabbage whole to boiling water. Let sit for about 3-5 mins or until outer leaves wilt and soften.

I had to keep turning my cabbage over so that it softened evenly.

5. Remove cabbage from hot water (but keep water hot...you might need it again for the inner leaves) and let cool until you can work with it.

6. On a cutting board, lay down softened cabbage leaf and cut out the hard spine in a "V" shape with a pairing knife, making sure to leave most of the leaf intact.

7. Put about 3-4 TB meat filling on the "U" shaped end of the leaf and roll it up, tucking the leaf in on the sides. Put the roll into a large casserole or baking dish. Repeat this process until meat filling is gone.