Stuffed Cabbage

This is one of our favorite recipes and I make it year round. It's worth putting up with the heat in the kitchen in the summer!! I am pretty sure you can throw them in the crock pot to cook too when you get to step #5

So here goes my Grandmother's recipe for Stuffed Cabbage:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 cups minute type brown rice
1/4 cup dried minced onion,
2 Tbsp parsley
1 egg
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (use more or less depending on how spicy you like yours)
two 64 ounce bottles tomato juice
one can condensed tomato soup
2 heads green cabbage

Step #1 Make the sauce:

In a large pot combine 1 1/2 bottles tomato juice, the can of soup, and the crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer then remove from heat and cool.

Step #2: Mix the filling:
In a large bowl add ground beef, parsley, egg, rice, minced onion, and 1/2- 3/4 cups sauce. Mix until combined but do not over mix. Add sauce 1/4 cup at a time until mixture comes together nicely.

Step #3 Prepare the Cabbage leaves:
Line counter top with a couple of layers of paper towels. Fill a large stock pot 3/4 full with water. Bring to a boil. Place one cabbage head in boiling water.

As cabbage cooks cut the leaves from head and remove from water to paper towels to dry. Repeat until the leaves get too small to use for rolls. The first few leaves you will use for the burn layer. They are usually a darker green color.

Repeat with second head of cabbage. Discard cabbage water. You can use what ever is left of the two cabbage heads for another recipe if you want. I usually finish cooking them, then cut them into quarters and serve with a splash of vinegar.

Step #4 prepare baking dish
Ladle some of the sauce into the bottom of a very large pan. I use a rectangle roasting pan. It is larger than 9x11 but if that's the only size you have then you can use two. Place enough of the dark green leaves on top of sauce this is creating a barrier to keep the rolls from burning.

Step #5 creating the rolls:
make a ball out of some of the ground beef mixture. I would say each ball has 1/4-1/2 cup mixture depending on the size of the cabbage leaves. Place on the stem side of one cabbage leaf.

Roll leaf over once tightly then bring in sides then continue rolling to create a nice packet.

Place on top of the burn barrier and continue with remaining meat mixture and cabbage leaves.

Step #6 Sauce
Carefully pour the sauce over the top of the cabbage rolls. You may not need to use all of it.

Step #7 Top layer
Place remaining cabbage leaves on top of rolls and sauce to create a barrier on top.

Step #8 baking time

Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 60 minutes. Drop temperature down to 250 and cook for 2 more hours.

Step #9 The end
Remove from oven and place rolls in pot of sauce on stove. Add remaining tomato juice if needed. Place on low heat to keep warm.

To serve place a roll in a bowl and cut it in half. Ladle some of the sauce right over the cut roll. Enjoy with some nice crusty bread.

This is a favorite and it makes a lot. I usually get about 24 rolls out of it.

I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do!!