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Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls
By Snejana Andreeva
on Nov 01, 2021, Updated Sep 16, 2022
You have just come across the tastiest Bulgarian deconstructed cabbage rolls. If you love cabbage rolls, which we call “ Sarmi ” in Bulgaria 🇧🇬, but don’t want the headache of rolling and stuffing for hours, you are not alone. This is my Mom’s secret recipe that tastes just like the delicious traditional cabbage rolls we all love. This dish is comfort food at its finest, so I hope you enjoy!
- Why You’ll Love Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls
- Variations and Substitutions for Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls
- Best Served With
- Similar Recipes
- Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls Recipe
Why You’ll Love Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls
In today’s day and age, when everyone is busy and on the go, unstuffed cabbage rolls , also known as deconstructed cabbage rolls, are a delicious and easy-to-make alternative to the traditional dish. This recipe combines all the flavors of a classic roll without the fuss of stuffing individual leaves 🥬.
Variations and Substitutions for Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls
There are so many ways to mix up the flavors and ingredients in deconstructed cabbage rolls:
- Instead of pork, try making this with ground beef, lamb or a combination of 1 or 2 ground meats.
- For a plant-based version, experiment with vegan “ground meat”.
- If you want extra flavor , you can also sauté the onions 🧅 with diced bacon, as bacon and cabbage are a match made in heaven.
Best Served With
- No-Knead Peasant Bread
- No-Knead Gluten-Free Bread .
- Cheesy Roasted Garlic Bread
Similar Recipes
If you’re in the mood to make soups, don’t forget to check out my soup recipes:
- Pastina Soup
- Greek Lemon Soup
- The Best Lentil Soup
- Hidden Veggie Orzo Soup
- Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup
- Healthiest Cream of Hidden Veggie Soup
- Hidden Veggie Meatball Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
You can use any ground meat of choice such as pork, veal, beef, turkey, or a combination of meats.
I cook with Redmond Real Salt , but you can use any you like. However, be mindful that the saltiness of a dish will depend on the type of salt you use. Some are more coarse and some more fine, so you will always have to taste and adjust.
You can certainly try experimenting with a plant-based “ground meat” alternative.
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Equipment
- ▢ Soup Pot
- ▢ Baking Dish
- ▢ Redmond Real Salt
- ▢ Nakiri Knife
- ▢ Cutting Board
Ingredients
- ▢ 500 grams ground meat , we like pork
- ▢ ⅓ cup avocado oil , or any
- ▢ 1 onion , finely diced
- ▢ 5 garlic cloves , finely diced
- ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ▢ 1 tablespoon salt , or to taste
- ▢ 2 tablespoons paprika , to taste
- ▢ 1 tablespoon dry oregano
- ▢ ¾ cup jasmine rice , or long grain
- ▢ 1 medium cabbage chopped
- ▢ ½ cup hot water , for the cabbage
- ▢ 1 cup hot water , for the baking dish
- ▢ fresh chopped dill
Instructions
- ▢ In a large pan on medium-high heat add the oil. Add the ground meat, break it up and fry until it’s caramelized and there’s no moisture. The water has to evaporate for the meat to begin to brown.
- ▢ Add the onions, garlic, tomato paste, seasonings, and rice as you stir in between. Take it off the heat and set aside.
- ▢ Cut the cabbage (like you would cut an onion). Cut it in half, each halve into lengthwise strips and then cut across. Add a little bit of salt on top and massage it with clean hands for about a minute to draw out the moisture and to soften it.
- ▢ Add the cabbage to a large pot on the stove with 1/2 cup of hot water and let it reduce as you stir on medium-high heat. You have to stir a few times so that the cabbage has reduced by at least a third.
- ▢ Add the meat and rice mixture to the reduced cabbage in the pot. Add extra paprika and salt if needed and stir.
- ▢ Take it out and pour into a baking dish with an additional cup of hot water, cover with foil and bake at 400F for 35 min. open it and let it broil for a few min on top. Dill for garnish, and enjoy.
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls
Equipment
- Soup Pot
- Baking Dish
- Redmond Real Salt
- Nakiri Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground meat we like pork
- ⅓ cup avocado oil or any
- 1 onion finely diced
- 5 garlic cloves finely diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons paprika to taste
- 1 tablespoon dry oregano
- ¾ cup jasmine rice or long grain
- 1 medium cabbage chopped
- ½ cup hot water for the cabbage
- 1 cup hot water for the baking dish
- fresh chopped dill
Instructions
- In a large pan on medium-high heat add the oil. Add the ground meat, break it up and fry until it’s caramelized and there’s no moisture. The water has to evaporate for the meat to begin to brown.
- Add the onions, garlic, tomato paste, seasonings, and rice as you stir in between. Take it off the heat and set aside.
- Cut the cabbage (like you would cut an onion). Cut it in half, each halve into lengthwise strips and then cut across. Add a little bit of salt on top and massage it with clean hands for about a minute to draw out the moisture and to soften it.
- Add the cabbage to a large pot on the stove with 1/2 cup of hot water and let it reduce as you stir on medium-high heat. You have to stir a few times so that the cabbage has reduced by at least a third.
- Add the meat and rice mixture to the reduced cabbage in the pot. Add extra paprika and salt if needed and stir.
- Take it out and pour into a baking dish with an additional cup of hot water, cover with foil and bake at 400F for 35 min. open it and let it broil for a few min on top. Dill for garnish, and enjoy.
Nutrition
Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls https://themodernnonna.com/deconstructed-cabbage-rolls/ November 1, 2021
