Healthy Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Healthy Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

From Clean Eating Nov/Dec 2009

 

Ingredients (use organic where possible):

Cabbage Rolls:

1 cup brown rice

1 medium head green cabbage

1lb ground Turkey breast

1 medium yellow onion, chopped and divided

3 ripe on-the-vine or roma tomatoes, seeded, cored, and diced

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8^th tsp cayenne pepper

½ cup whole wheat or gluten free bread crumbs

2 large eggs

Sauce:

Olive oil

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

1 4-oz can or fresh sliced mushrooms

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 T fresh thyme, minced

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cook rice. Boil a large pot of water over medium-high heat. Put cabbage head in a colander and pour boiling water over it. Remove 8-9 leaves of cabbage and set aside.  Chop remaining cabbage. 

Sauté turkey in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink.  Reserve 2 T of onion for sauce and add remaining onion to turkey in skillet.  Sauté for an additional 3 minutes or until onion is no longer translucent.  Add tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon, and cayenne, and sauté for another 2 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.

In a large bowl mix cooked rice, bread crumbs, and egg whites; then combine with turkey mixture.  To stuff cabbage rolls, place about ½ cup turkey mixture in the middle of a cabbage leaf fold outer edges into the middle and bottom edge up and roll away from you until sealed.  Secure with toothpicks.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To make sauce heat olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Add reserved 2 T onion and sauté for 2 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste, mushrooms, ½ cup water, vinegar, oregano, cinnamon, cayenne, and thyme.  Season with salt and black pepper.  Cook for 2 more minutes.  Remove from heat and spread 1 to 2 Tbsp sauce into a medium-sized casserole dish.  Place all stuffed cabbage leaves into dish and pour remaining sauce overtop.  Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.