Cabbage roll casserole

 

Looking for easy, comfort food, with a flavour that mimics cabbage rolls? Cabbage rolls are relatively easy to make, but do require some time and effort in prepping and rolling them.

If you’re looking for a quick fix for a cabbage roll craving, this recipe is a nice replacement.

I searched out a couple of recipes on allrecipes.com and food.com and then made up my own variation of a few.

For this, you will need ground beef, onion, rice, a large can of diced tomatoes, water, spice to your liking, brown sugar, and of course cabbage! I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients…but the stewed diced tomatoes that I purchased were seasoned with garlic.

First, brown the garlic, onions and ground beef, and drain if necessary. I had some garden tomatoes that were soft, so I sliced them and threw them in with the beef. I also added pepper, a little salt and some Montreal steak spice.

Once the meat is browned, set aside (take off the heat) and stir the rice in with the meat mixture.

Chop the cabbage, and line the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. You want a pretty thick layer of cabbage.

Cover the cabbage with the meat and rice mixture.

Then, heat the diced tomatoes and water in a saucepan to a light boil. Add the spices you like – one of the recipes called for marjoram and oregano but I used an Italian seasoning blend and salt and pepper. As well, add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. The secret ingredient I added (which Ron always puts in cabbage rolls) is a splash of Clamato juice – about 2-3 tablespoons.

Once the tomato mixture has come to a light boil, pour it over the meat mixture.

Cover tightly and cook at 350F for 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours. This is a low-fat, lower carb meal compared to many casseroles that have ingredients like pasta and cheese. You can pretend they are cabbage rolls that you cut up!