Recipe: Tale of 2 Cabbage Casseroles

This week I got a cabbage the size of my head from my CSA. There's only one recipe I know that could possible handle such a massive amount of cabbage: Nana's Cabbage Rolls.

Cabbage rolls, specifically this recipe, were my grandfather's favorite dish. My grandma, Nana, would make it for his birthday since it was so time consuming. For me, it both reminds me of my grandfather and has a certain undeniable 1950s-retro appeal that I can't quite resist. That and it is delicious, cheap and I normally have most of the ingredients on hand. In short, the only thing not to love is the hands-on time requirement, plus the additional the 2 hours in the oven.

So, one day I had a revelation and turned my beloved grandma's recipe into a less time-consuming casserole and give it a modern kick. I'll share both of these recipes in case a mammoth head of cabbage falls into your CSA bag. Both these recipes serve 6 people.

Nana's Cabbage Rolls
1 large head of cabbage
1 lb ground beef (or turkey would work too)
1.5 c cooked rice
1 onion, diced
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 cans (10.5 oz) condensed tomato soup
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes (or diced if you like chunky sauce)
4 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp dark brown sugar

salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350*F
   
2. Prepare cabbage by slicing a 1-inch piece off the bottom of the cabbage. Put cabbage in large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil & let boil about 10 minutes. Drain. Remove at least 12 outer leaves so that they are whole. Cut out the rib if it is heavy. Chop up the rest of the cabbage.
3. Spread a layer of chopped cabbage at the bottom of an 9x13 glass baking dish.
4. Mix together beef, rice, onion, egg, salt & pepper, & 4 tbsp of the condensed soup. This is the filling.
5. Divide the filling between your prepared cabbage leaves by placing an equal amount in the middle of each whole leaf.
6. Roll up leaves, like an envelope (tucking the sides, if possible, in). Place seam side down in the chopped cabbage covered baking dish.
7. Mix together the remaining soup, canned tomatoes, lemon juice & brown sugar. Pour over rolls.
8. Cover with foil and bake about 1.5 hours. Then, uncover and bake 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Katy's Cabbage Roll Casserole
(My version plays up the sweet-and-sour nature of the original, plus cuts down on cooking time and hands-on time. I highly recommend using hot Hungarian paprika if you have it...it gives a nick subtle kick)

1 large head of cabbage, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef (or turkey would work too)
1.5 c cooked rice
1 onion, diced

1/2 c raisins, optional
2 cans (10.5 oz) condensed tomato soup
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes (or diced if you like chunky sauce)
4 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp dark brown sugar

oil
salt & pepper
hot Hungarian paprika, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350*F
2. Heat a little oil in a skillet. Add onions & cook until just translucent. Then add beef & cook until brown. Next, add cooked rice and stir until everything is combined & rice is coated with fat/meat juices. Season with salt, pepper & hot Hungarian paprika.
   
3. Add tomato soup, canned tomatoes, lemon juice and dark brown sugar to the meat & rice mixture. Stir to combine & turn off heat.
   
4. In a baking dish, spoon a bit of the meat sauce in the bottom. Next add a layer of chopped cabbage. Press down. Top with meat sauce.
5. Repeat the alternating of cabbage & meat sauce until your finish with cabbage on top.
6. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 55 minutes. Then, take off foil and bake another 30 minutes until cabbage is tender. One of my favorite parts is the top layer of cabbage that gets brown around the edges. If you don't like this, end on a sauce layer.
   

Tastes better than it looks. Promise.