Lazy Man Cabbage Rolls

 

Since I blanched and froze quite a bit chopped cabbage (I had trouble with the heads splitting this summer), I decided to make some Lazy Man Cabbage Rolls.  You can make this recipe in your crockpot but I left mine in the trailer with Barry so I made them in the oven.  I had never used frozen cabbage for this and was interested to see how they would turn out. 

 

I brought the cabbage out several days early and thawed it in a container in the fridge.  You need to drain the cabbage before you can use it.

 

 

I mix together about 1 - 1 1/2 pounds of hamburger and 1 - 1 1/2 cups rice.  I add salt and pepper to this.  You could also add chopped onion if you wish. 

 

I then mix in a quart sealer of canned tomatoes.  I break the tomatoes up so the chunks are small. 

 

Put half the cabbage in the bottom of a roaster or casserole dish.  I almost always use a roaster so I have less chance of my casseroles boiling over. 

 

Place hamburger - rice mixture onto cabbage. 

 

Sprinkle on the rest of the cabbage. 

 

Mix a can of tomato soup with 3/4 can of water and pour it on top. 

 

Cook at 350°F for about 1 hour.  You can eat it as is or you can serve it with some sour cream.   

 

 

 I was very pleased with the taste and texture of the cabbage.  I would be hard pressed to tell the difference in taste between fresh and frozen. 



Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage rolls can be finicky to make.  Instead of making them each time we want to eat some, I make up a bunch at once and freeze them.  Then it is easy to have cabbage rolls whenever the mood strikes you.

I prepare the cabbage in the fall when I have a crop ready.  First you pick nice firm heads, remove the outer damaged leaves, cut out the core and wash.  I blanch the whole head and then immerse it in icy cold water.  Drain well before freezing until needed.

When I am making cabbage rolls, I usually bring out a number of heads at once.  Thaw completely and drain.

I find this works best for having pliable leaves.  I've tried freshly blanched leaves but they are easier to tear and not as nice to work with.  The freezing process seems to do something to the cabbage so the leaves are bendable and not too fragile.

For the filling I cook 2 to 3 cups of rice and fry several pounds of hamburger before mixing together.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Amounts don't matter as leftovers can be used later.

I peel apart the heads of cabbage and use the smaller or torn pieces for the bottom of the container. 

To make the cabbage roll, place a leaf in your cupped hand.

Place a spoonful of filling near the end closest to your wrist.

Cup your hand and shape the filling into a nice mound.

Roll leaf over filling, tucking in sides as you roll.  Don't be too gentle because if you tuck it too loosely it may fall apart during cooking.

Roll top of leaf over to finish off.  Practice makes perfect but unperfect cabbage rolls still taste great.  :)

I freeze the cabbage rolls in ice cream pails or larger plastic containers.  Since I usually cook the cabbage rolls in my crock pot, I find a container that fits nicely in the crockpot.

Pack the cabbage rolls close together with rolled side down. 

When I have enough for a meal I layer on several pieces of wax paper as a divider so I can pry it apart when frozen.  That way I can freeze several meals in one container.

Continue filling and end with broken pieces again.  This way, you flip it to the bottom of the crockpot when frozen and have a layer of leaves on the bottom.

If you are cooking them fresh, you can cook them in a roaster instead of a crockpot.  Fill the roaster as above without the wax paper.  You can use crushed canned tomatoes or partially diluted tomato soup (I mix a can of soup with 1/2 can of water).

Cook at 350°F for 1 to 2 hours.  Cabbage should cut easily with a fork.

When I bring the frozen cabbage rolls out to cook, I place them cabbage pieces side down in a crockpot.  I add 1 to 2 cans of tomato soup depending on the amount of cabbage rolls I am cooking.  I again dilute it with 1/2 can water per can of soup.  I then cook on high all day until supper.  If you cook fresh cabbage rolls in the crockpot, it doesn't take as long since they don't have to thaw.

If I have rice-hamburger filling left, I mix in a can of tomato soup and top with cheddar cheese.  Bake at 350°F for about 3/4 hour until heated through and cheese is melted and browned. 

My mom does her cabbage rolls differently.  She uses raw rice and raw hamburger in hers.  She also often buys sour cabbage to roll them in.  She cooks hers on the top of the stove in a large pot.  She puts an old plate on the bottom of the pot so the cabbage rolls don't stick and burn.  Then mom covers them with tomato juice and boils them slowly for several hours.  I don't use this method because: 1. they may boil over (big mess), 2. I don't use enough juice so they are dry, 3. I don't cook them long enough so they are partially raw.  Mom has perfected this method over the years and hers are always tasty but I prefer my method.

Enjoy one or more of these ideas.  ;)

 



Hamburger Rice Casserole

I like cooking casseroles and other one dish meals.  I think it came from when the boys were young and time was at a premium.  I enjoy meals that you can whip up in a hurry and let cook on their own while you are busy doing other things.  The idea of the meal looking after itself is still a priority with the garden, chickens, canning and processing the fruit and veggies taking up a large portion of my time from early spring to late autumn.

The recipe was adapted from the link below:
http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/hamburger_rice_casserole.htm
I often double recipes so we have leftovers or so we can freeze part of them for another time (depending on the casserole).  I usually use my roaster to cook the casseroles in because there is less chance of boiling over.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. hamburger

1 1/2 cups rice

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 can sliced mushrooms

1 medium onion, chopped   ** I left it out of the recipe this time

6 TBSP soy sauce

6 cups boiling water

Salt and pepper to taste  ** I also added a pinch of parsley and seasoning salt.

Measure rice into casserole dish.

Brown hamburger with chopped onion and season with salt, pepper, seasoning salt. 

Pour boiling water into casserole dish with rice and add mushroom soup.  Sprinkle in parsley. 

Stir until the soup is broken up.

 Add soy sauce, mushrooms and cooked hamburger mixture.  

Cook at 350F for an hour.  Serve with side salad and a hot vegetable.  Enjoy!