Stuffed cabbage is a traditional Eastern European dish, ideal for a regular family dinner or for a chic festive table. It is made from cabbage or grape leaves, into which a wide variety of fillings are wrapped. But the most familiar option was cabbage rolls with meat and rice, supplemented with white-vegetable.

To make the dish tasty and appetizing in appearance, you should carefully approach the selection of products for it. This is especially true for cabbage.

Ideal for stuffed cabbage miniature head of cabbage, the leaves of which are not too tightly adjacent to each other.

Regardless of the recipe chosen, it is very important to properly prepare the cabbage for the further formation of cabbage rolls.

For this:

  • The stump is separated from the head (neatly with a sharp knife);
  • The vegetable is immersed in boiling water and after five minutes it is removed from the heat along with the pan;
  • Cabbage is in a container with water until it cools completely;
  • The head of cabbage is sorted into individual leaves.

If the petioles of the leaflets were too hard and thick, they need to be well taken. The easiest way to do this is a hammer for beating meat.

A mandatory component of this dish are a variety of spices. For example, dried oregano, bay leaves, basil and black pepper. This list can be modified and supplemented to your liking.

Stuffing for stuffed cabbage - cooking options

 

Stuffing is an important part of cabbage rolls. Therefore, it is necessary to cook it deliciously and correctly. There are two main options for the meat component for the filling.

The first is prepared from chicken. It is worth taking a small amount of skin for the minced meat so that it does not turn out to be too fresh. But salt and spices in this product should not be added.Fillet with skin is twisted through a meat grinder or chopped with a blender. In addition, 1 small head of white onion can be added to the mixture. For 6 chicken, 2 peels will be enough.

The second option is prepared from pork and beef in equal amounts. It is best to choose the flesh from the shoulder blades, sirloin, brisket and neck. If very fatty pork is used for the preparation of minced meat, then beef, on the contrary, can be lean. Onions in this version of minced meat for stuffed cabbage with rice should not be added when chopping.

Tasty recipe: lazy cabbage rolls in the oven

Stuffed cabbage with meat and rice - a classic recipe

The classic recipe is the simplest and most affordable. It will appeal to both children and adults. The main thing is not to spare your favorite spices. In addition to seasonings in the form of black pepper and bay leaf, the following ingredients are added to the dish: 1.5 kg. cabbage, 1 kg. minced meat, 2 pcs. onions and carrots, 1 chicken egg, 3 tbsp. tablespoons of tomato paste or ketchup without additives, 200 gr. oily sour cream.

As for spices, the easiest way is to buy a ready-made mixture “For cabbage rolls” or to find the perfect combination for yourself through experimentation.

Step-by-step cooking steps:

  1. Rice is boiled until half cooked in unsalted water.
  2. Carrots and onions are finely chopped and fried until golden brown in any vegetable oil.
  3. Semi-prepared chilled rice mixed with vegetables, minced meat, raw egg, salt and spices.
  4. The filling is laid out on a pre-prepared cabbage leaf, after which the latter is folded in a neat envelope.
  5. It remains to take care of the sauce: sour cream is diluted with water and mixed with tomato paste, seasoned with spices, after which bay leaves are added to it.
  6. The mixture is boiled for 5-7 minutes, then it is poured into a pan, in which cabbage rolls are also neatly placed. Cabbage envelopes should be completely covered with sauce.

Cooking time for cabbage rolls may vary depending on the variety of cabbage. But on average, a dish requires stewing from 40 to 90 minutes. Serve it to the table, after sprinkling with finely chopped fresh herbs.

Oven stuffed cabbage recipe

 

Few housewives know that cabbage rolls can be cooked in the oven. This method is faster, and, in addition, allows products to retain their benefits, rich taste and reduce calorie content. Stuffed cabbage roasting should be selected if it is planned to serve the dish to the festive table. Perfect for this version of the popular food under discussion minced chicken meat (1 kg.). In addition to it, you will need to prepare 1 average head of cabbage, 300 gr. mushrooms, a couple of onions and the same amount of carrots, 300 gr. rice, 2 eggs, 500 ml. fat cream (at least 20%), 3-4 cloves of garlic (can be replaced with a granular product), 2 tbsp. tomato paste, spices, salt.

  1. Rice is boiled in plenty of water until cooked.
  2. In a frying pan, chopped white onion, garlic, carrots and mushrooms, cut into pieces, are thoroughly fried in any vegetable oil with spices.
  3. When all the ingredients are ready, you can add vegetables, meat and mushrooms to rice, salt, pepper them, and then put the stuffing for cabbage rolls on a leaf of cabbage, folding it with an envelope.
  4. It remains to carefully lay out the future treats on a deep baking sheet thoroughly greased with oil or grease or in any convenient form. Top them with a mixture of heavy cream and tomato paste. If granular garlic is used, then you can add it to the dish just at this stage.

Stuffed cabbage is cooked in an oven warmed up to 180 degrees for at least 40 minutes. You can serve them to the table, after decorating with greens, as well as slices of fresh or canned vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet bell peppers).

Stuffed cabbage with meat and rice in a slow cooker

This recipe will allow each housewife to significantly save time spent in the kitchen.A woman will be able to boldly do other things without worrying about whether the dish set on fire is burning. In addition, cabbage rolls in a slow cooker always turn out to be very soft and tender. For their preparation you need to take 1 head of cabbage, 500 gr. minced meat, 250 gr. white rice, 1 carrot, 3-4 garlic cloves, 100 gr. sour cream and 50 gr. tomato paste.

  1. Water is poured into the appliance bowl, salt is added, and then rice. In the “Steam cooking” mode, it is necessary to set the time 2 times shorter than the standard one, so that the croup is half-finished.
  2. After rice, the container is rinsed, grated carrots and chopped garlic are placed in it. In the "Frying" mode, vegetables are cooked until soft.
  3. Now carrots, garlic, rice and minced meat are thoroughly mixed, tomato paste, salt and spices are added to them. The filling is laid out on the prepared cabbage leaves, which need to be folded with envelopes.
  4. First of all, future cabbage rolls are prepared for 5-7 minutes in the "Frying" mode in one layer. Then they are laid in a multicooker cup already in several layers, poured with a mixture of sour cream and water, and the "Extinguishing" mode is activated for 40 minutes.

The finished dish is served hot with low-fat sour cream or mayonnaise.

Recipe for cooking in a pan

It is in the pan that the housewives cook cabbage rolls most often. To add originality to this dish, it is worth supplementing it with an unusual filling of homemade sour cream (200 g) and flour (2 tbsp). In addition to these ingredients, you will need to take the following: 1 kg. white cabbage, 400 gr. minced meat, 100 gr. white rice, onions and carrots in equal amounts (2 pcs.), spices, salt, oil.

  1. Rice is boiled until half cooked in salted water.
  2. Shredded carrots and onions are fried in vegetable oil (you can even take olive or walnut oil).
  3. Finished ingredients are mixed with raw minced meat, and the filling is wrapped in cabbage leaves.
  4. Stuffed cabbage is fried in a pan on both sides until golden brown.
  5. Now similar actions are carried out with flour. It is fried until golden, filled with sour cream and water.
  6. As soon as the filling is thickened, cabbage rolls are spread in it and left on low heat for about 20 minutes.

As noted above, a thick homemade sour cream is best for this recipe. Then the dish will turn out to be especially satisfying and tasty.

No matter how to cook cabbage rolls, the hostess decided to serve them with a variety of sauces.

“Pink”, “tartar”, “garlic” and even ordinary mayonnaise will suit the dish.

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