Being Vegan forces you to think outside of the box when it comes to planning your meals. Stuffed Cabbage Rolls is something I never really ate until a few years ago, but I figured it would be a good break from my usual pasta, tacos, & soup dinners! I loved that I was able to even add rice to the stuffing. I served these rolls with mashed butternut squash, Sean also had brown rice, while I ate mine over more steamed cabbage 🙂
Ingredients
-1 large head cabbage
-1/4 Cup oil
-1 onion, diced
-3 stalks celery, diced
-3 large carrots, diced
-1 small eggplant, diced
-1 Cup brown rice
-2 Cups water
-1 teaspoon thyme
-1 teaspoon rosemary
-1 can tomato paste
-2 Tablespoons sugar or agave nectar
-1 can tomatoes
-Pepper to taste
Directions
-Set a large pot filled hallway with water, to a boil. Cut the stem of the cabbage off & pull off the crusty outer leaves
-In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat
-Saute the onion, celery, & carrots until the onions are transparent
-Add the rice to vegetables & cook for 1 minute. Add the water & bring to a boil
-Add the thyme & rosemary into the rice mixture
-Once the water is boiling, reduce heat to low & cover. Cook the rice for about 12 minutes, or until al dente
-Add the cabbage to the boiling pot & cook, covered, for 10 – 12 minutes. Remove the cabbage & drain in colander for at least 10 minutes
-While the rice is cooking, heat the second 1/4 Cup of oil in a medium sauce pan on high heat. When the oil is hot, add the eggplant & cook until a little crisp on the outside
-Once the rice is down, add 2 Tablespoons tomato paste & 1 Tablespoon sugar to the rice mixture. Stir until combined
-Add in the eggplant. Stir until well combined. Add pepper to taste. Remove from heat
-Preheat oven to 350°F
-Once the cabbage is cool enough to handle, slowly & carefully peel each leaf off the head, being careful not to tear them
-Place about 1/4 Cup of the mixture on the bottom part of the leaf, fold the sides over & roll, kind of like you’re rolling a burrito
-Keep rolling until you run out of cabbage or filling
-In a bowl mix the tomatoes, tomato paste, & 1 Tablespoon sugar. Mix well. Pour into bottom of casserole dish, but save some for the tops of the rolls
-Place the rolls in a casserole dish & pour the remaining tomato mixture on top of the cabbage rolls
-Bake for 1 hour. Serve warm
xoxo