- 1-2 cabbages, cored
- 2 cups white rice, dry
- Tomato sauce
- (See 'Homemade Tomato Sauce' recipe)
- Filling:
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 Tablespoon thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasonings
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Place whole cabbages in a large pot of boiling water and cook until soft, 15-20 minutes
- Meanwhile, cook white rice according to package instructions
- Once cabbage is cooked, remove from water and allow to cool
- Start filling by placing butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add remaining filling ingredients and use wooden spoon to break up ground beef and to thoroughly mix filling. (Filling can be anything you like, just fine dice the vegetables before cooking)
- Once cabbage is cooled, peel off whole leaves and set aside
- Add cooked rice to filling skillet and mix together
Assembly:
- Spoon some homemade tomato sauce into bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish
- Take cabbage leaf in one hand, and scoop out filling and place in the middle of cabbage leaf (see photo)
- Place leaf on flat surface, and wrap by folding stem side to opposite side. Then roll the adjacent side across, making a cigar shape. Fold each open end under and place inside pan
- Repeat this process with remaining filling
- Top pan with remaining tomato sauce and bake for 1 hour. Makes great leftover lunch
