Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Two weeks ago my local Aldi had cabbage for 75 cents a head. That was a good deal, so I grabbed a large one. There was a lot of food in the refrigerator, and the cabbage got shoved to the back of a shelf behind a bowl.  By Sunday the refrigerator had emptied out, and I spotted the cabbage  Its outside leaves looked wilted and were sporting a couple of dark spots.  Time to figure out a way to use it!

I threw the outer layer of leaves into the compost pile, then julienned  the next layer and added them to a pot of chicken vegetable soup.  Even after that there was still a lot of cabbage left; I wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap and put it back into the refrigerator.

This morning was about cooking, mainly figuring out a way to use the cabbage.  I love stuffed cabbage, but the full-fledged rolls take hours to prepare.  I didn't have that much time, so I used the basic ingredients to make a casserole.  Less than an hour later tonight's AND tomorrow night's dinner was done.  All it needs is a quick reheat in the microwave.

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
(serves 4)

1 lb ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 head of cabbage, roughly chopped (or approximately 8 cups)
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 15 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 1/2-2 cups chicken broth
2 T. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

  1. In a large pot over medium heat brown the turkey, onions, and garlic until the turkey is no longer pink.
  2. Drain juice from tomatoes into a measuring cup. Add chicken broth until you have 2 cups of liquid.
  3. Stir cabbage, rice, tomatoes, liquid, and seasonings into pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes.

Five years ago today: New Thing #258--Are You Up To The Challenge?

14 comments:

  1. This is something I could actually make...thanks...I would never take the time to do them the traditional way.

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    1. It's quick and easy...my favorite kind of recipe!

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  2. Cabbage casserole is a favourite at our house. We always use ground beef but I think next time I will try it with ground turkey.
    Cheri

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    1. I'm using ground turkey more than hamburger lately-it's less expensive and I don't think there's a huge taste difference in a casserole.

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  3. I love cabbage but I always seem to have a hard time using up the leftovers too! This recipe sounds great. Thank you for sharing it and giving me another delicious way to use it up!!

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  4. I'm here from Cupcake Project Pinterest Explorers. What a GREAT idea! I don't have the patience for cabbage rolls. Pinning!

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    1. Wow, thanks! You're the first person that's pinned from my blog (and told me about it).

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  5. Sounds really good and easy. We just got a cabbage in our CSA box and I was wondering what to do with it. I was give a big batch of tomatoes too, so I'm thinking maybe i could just use the raw tomatoes with this. I would use hamburger.

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    1. If I had tomatoes to use up I'd do the same thing. Might have to adjust the amount of liquid.

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  6. Mmmm... This looks wonderful and it sounds healthy too.

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  7. Stuffed cabbage is my favorite food! My mother makes it perfectly and since I don't live near her, it's a once a year treat, but I do make myself this casserole version. Much easier and since I can't compete with mom, why try! I also add a generous portion of paprika. #cricketproject

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    1. I'll have to remember paprika for next time. My Hungarian SIL uses it in her cabbage rolls, but I didn't have any in the house.

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