Beefy Cabbage Roll Casserole

Now here’s comfort food classic that you may have forgotten all about! We’ve simplified this one with a super-simple tomato sauce and if you wish to short-cut ever further, simply layer the cabbage leaves with the meat mixture like a lasagna and top with the sauce before baking. Savoy cabbage is a more tender leaf to work with than regular cabbage.

Cabbage Rolls:

• 1 large head savoy cabbage, base trimmed
• 1 lb (0.45 kg) Lean ground beef
• ½ cup (125 ml) Onion, minced
• 1 Tbsp  (15 ml) Light soy sauce
• 2 tsp (10 ml) Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ tsp (7 ml) Paprika
• 1 cup (250 ml) Brown or white rice, cooked and cooled
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Tomato Sauce:

• 1 (396 ml) can tomato sauce
• ½ (796 ml) can diced stewed tomatoes (and juices), approximately 400 ml total

1. Cook cabbage for 10 minutes in large pot of boiling salted water. Drain and peel off 12 leaves; set aside (reserve any remaining cabbage in the refrigerator or freezer, slicing to use in soups, stir-fries or casseroles.
2. Cook ground beef in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until browned, breaking the beef into small chucks with a wooden spoon while cooking. Stir in soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and cooked rice; season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. Combine tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes in a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until just simmering.
4. Meanwhile cut out the tough stem from each cabbage leaf with a paring knife, discarding stem. Place approx 3 tbsp (45 mL) of beef mixture near the top of each leaf, fold the top of the leaf over the mixture, tuck the sides in and roll up, tucking the end of leaf underneath itself to ensure a tight roll.
5. Place the cabbage rolls in a 2 qt (2 L) oven-safe baking dish; set aside. Combine tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes; spoon over cabbage rolls. Cover pan with foil and bake in 375°F (190°C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until tomato sauce is bubbling all over, cabbage is tender and digital instant read thermometer reads 160°F (71°C) when inserted into cabbage rolls.