Description
An easy Russian cabbage roll recipe that is healthy and bursting with flavors! Plus it’s super freezer friendly making it ideal for those nights when there is no time for a healthy dinner!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 Pounds Ground Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1.5 Pounds Ground Turkey
- 1 Cup Cooked Rice
- 12 Large Carrots
- 4 Large Onions
- 1 Cup Tomato Puree
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 2 tablespoons of Dill
- 1 Large Head of Cabbage (frozen the night before and thawed the morning the recipe will be made)
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- I start this recipe the night before. My mom taught me a really neat trick way back when. Instead of boiling the head of cabbage, throw it into the freezer the night before making this recipe. Then thaw it out in the morning the following day. You will have perfect, pliable cabbage leaves, ready to be rolled.
- I use my Vitamix for the carrot and onions. You can also use your shredder attachment on a food processor or grate them on a box grater. If using a Vitamix you are going to want to do the wet chop method:
- Throw all your carrots and onions in the Vitamix and fill up with water until all veggies are covered. Pulse on high until everything is shredded nicely.
- Now pour into a strainer to get rid of the water. Place a tablespoon of olive in a heavy bottomed pot and place your veggies in there over medium heat. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper. Sweat them out for about 15 minutes. You do not want them to brown you just want them to get aromatic and soft.
- In the meantime, separate your cabbage leaves one from the other. If you end up having some leftover in the end, you will just use them on top as a blanket for the rolls. You are going to want to cut out the stem at the bottom where it is the toughest in a V shape. (Sorry pic got erased)
- After the veggies have sweated out for a bit, add in your dill, tomato puree and sour cream; stir to combine. See how creamy it’s getting? That’s what you want. That will help hold the mix together as well as add killer flavor.
- Place this on a flat plate or bowl and let cool in the freezer for 10 minutes. Once cool to the touch, combine 3/4 of the vegetable mix, rice, turkey, pork and seasoning.
- Mix everything together so it is well mixed. Take a small piece and fry on a small pan to taste for seasoning. Add in as necessary.
- Take one cabbage leave and place about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture in the middle. If the leaves are smaller, you can place 1 tablespoon. Look at the picture see how there is a “v” cut out. That was the hard part of the stem that I removed.
- Take the middle part of the leaf and cover up the meat with it.
- Now, take the two ends and fold them inwards.
- And now just roll it up like a burrito.
- Do the same for the rest, placing them tightly in the pot. Cover with boiling water so that they are covered about halfway and top with the remaining veggie mixture.
- If you have remaining cabbage leaves you can layer them on top. Cover with a lid or with aluminum foil and place into a 325-degree oven and cook for 1.5-2 hours or until meat is nice and tender.
- Category: dinner, Easy, freezer friendly
- Cuisine: Russian, Ukranian