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two large vegetarian stuffed cabbage rolls in tomato sauce.
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5 from 3 votes

Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

These vegetarian stuffed cabbage rolls with rice and feta are simmered in a delicious tomato sauce with oregano and parsley.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours
Course: Vegetarian
Cuisine: Romanian
Servings: 6
Calories: 127kcal
Author: Adina

Equipment

  • Small pot for the rice
  • Dutch oven or deep saucepan

Ingredients

  • 1 medium white or green cabbage Note 1
  • ½ cup rice Note 2
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 4 sun-dried tomatoes finely chopped
  • 3.5 oz feta cheese
  • 1 small egg
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 medium onions finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 5-10 cherry tomatoes depending on their size
  • vegetable broth to cook the rolls at least 1 cup, more if necessary, depends on the size of your pot
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • fine sea salt and pepper
US - EU

Instructions

Prepare the leaves:

  • Prepare cabbage leaves: Remove the core of the cabbage. Cut the protruding part of the core.
    Then make incisions with a small sharp knife around the core, about 4-6 incisions around the core.
    Try to loosen the core by cutting through it from one incision to another, like making many X signs. When the core is loose enough, start removing it piece by piece, cutting it here and there to make it looser.
    1 medium white or green cabbage
  • To soften the cabbage leaves, bring a very large pot of water to a boil. The pot should be able to hold the entire cabbage head easily. When the water boils, add a good splash of vinegar and some salt.
  • Cook: Carefully place the cabbage into the pot with the hole facing down. Cook it for about 10 minutes, turn it around and start removing the leaves. You will do that with the help of two forks, scratching and pulling at the edges of the hole.
    If they don't come off easily continue cooking the cabbage until they start to come off. Be careful not to scald your hands with the boiling water.
  • Cabbage layers: You will only be able to remove one or two layers of leaves at a time, so patience is required. Keep turning the cabbage in the pot from time to time.
  • Drain: After removing some leaves, leave them to drain and cool down in a large colander and continue cooking the rest of the cabbage until you are able to remove all the leaves. The leaves should be really pliable.
  • Trim leaves: When the leaves are cool enough to handle, you will have to prepare them for filling. Cut the lower part of the leaf where the stem is very thick and try to cut the stem thinner with a sharp knife, which you will lead over the thicker upper side of the stem.

Filling:

  • Cook rice: Place the washed rice into the pot. Add the finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, add vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover well, and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
    ½ cup rice + 1 cup vegetable broth
  • Chop cabbage leftovers: In the meantime, weigh about 3.5 oz/ 100 g of the small inner leaves of the cabbage, the ones that you will not be able to fill anyway. Chop them finely.
  • Add them to the pot with the rice. Continue cooking for about 10-12 minutes. Check from time to time and add more broth if the mixture seems too dry; however, keep in mind that the liquid should be entirely absorbed by the end of the cooking process.
  • Combine filling: Transfer the rice to a bowl and leave it cool slightly before adding the cheese and the egg. Add the finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled cheese, the lightly beaten egg, and the dried oregano. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
    4 sun-dried tomatoes + 3.5 oz feta cheese + 1 small egg + 1 teaspoon oregano + fine sea salt and pepper

Make the rolls:

  • Fill rolls: Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling at the base of the cabbage leaf, fold the lower side over the filling, then the right side of the leaf over the meat and roll.
  • Roll: Stuff the left side of the leaf with your finger inside the roll. If some of the leaves are too small or broken, you can overlap two leaves to make one roll.

Cook:

  • Heat the oil in a large, deep pan or Dutch oven. Fry the cabbage rolls until nicely browned on both sides.
    1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Chop onions: In the meantime, halve the onions and slice the halves thinly. Add the onions to the pot and cook them briefly.
    2 medium onions
  • Arrange in the pot: Add the chopped cherry tomatoes between the rolls. Lift the rolls, if necessary, to make some space for the onions and tomatoes; they should be underneath and between the rolls.
    5-10 cherry tomatoes
  • Simmer: Add enough vegetable broth to barely cover the cabbage rolls. Cover, bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the cabbage rolls are soft. Remove the rolls from the pan and keep them warm.
    vegetable broth to cook the rolls

Sauce:

  • The sauce should be reduced by this time. If you think you still have too much liquid in the pot, let the sauce boil, uncovered, for a few minutes, until the liquid is reduced.
  • Adjust taste: Add about ⅔ of the chopped parsley to the pot, let the sauce bubble shortly, and adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the cabbage rolls with the remaining parsley and serve them with the sauce.
    1 bunch parsley

Notes

  1. Cabbage: You can also make the rolls with sauerkraut. They are already soft, so there is no need to cook them.
  2. Grains: You can replace the rice with other cooked grains, or use leftover rice or other leftover grains.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the dish | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 600mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g