New World Stuffed Cabbage -- The Recipe That Feeds the People You Love Most

I drove to Grinnell Saturday. Roger was in the garden — the garden that is his whole world now, the 81-year-old man who tends six tomato plants and twelve sunflowers with the same care he once gave four hundred acres. He's slower but he's still Roger. He still watches the crop reports. He still calls Jack on Wednesdays.

I made asparagus risotto this week — the spring version, the one that fills the kitchen with the smell that means this time of year, this stage of life, this specific Tuesday when the stove is warm and the family is fed and the feeding is the point. Kevin ate seconds. The man always eats seconds. The eating is the approval and the approval is the marriage.

Seed starting continues at the Holloway household — the windowsill green, the grow lights purple, the soil mix precise. The annual miracle of February and March: things grow even when everything says they shouldn't. The growing is the argument against everything.

There’s something about a Saturday drive to Grinnell — Roger in the garden, Kevin eating seconds, the windowsill full of seedlings — that makes me want to cook something that holds together, something with weight and warmth and a little old-world patience to it. Stuffed cabbage is exactly that kind of recipe. It takes a little time and a little care, the same way a good garden does, and when it comes out of the oven the whole house smells like something worth staying home for. Kevin will eat seconds. He always eats seconds.

New World Stuffed Cabbage

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 large head green cabbage
• 1 lb ground corned beef (or a mix of ground beef and diced cooked corned beef)
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1 cup cooked white rice
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup beef broth

Instructions

1. Prepare the cabbage. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Core the cabbage and carefully submerge it in the boiling water for 2–3 minutes, peeling off leaves as they loosen. Repeat until you have 12 large pliable leaves. Pat dry and set aside. Shred any remaining cabbage and spread it across the bottom of a large baking dish.
2. Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine the ground corned beef, ground pork, cooked rice, onion, garlic, egg, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. Mix gently until just combined — do not overwork the meat.
3. Make the tomato sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Roll the cabbage. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place about 1/3 cup of filling near the stem end of each cabbage leaf. Fold in the sides and roll firmly away from you, like a burrito. Place rolls seam-side down on top of the shredded cabbage in the baking dish.
5. Assemble and bake. Pour the tomato sauce evenly over the rolls, making sure each one is well coated. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to allow the tops to caramelize slightly.
6. Rest and serve. Let the rolls rest for 10 minutes before serving. Spoon extra sauce from the pan over the top. Serve with crusty bread or boiled potatoes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 820mg