Cabbage rolls are among those dishes that can be prepared both for a festive table and for an ordinary family lunch or dinner. Traditionally, they are stewed in a pan and cooked in tomato sauce. And if you bake them in the oven, then the cabbage rolls will turn out to be especially juicy and tender.
Cooking cabbage rolls in the oven is not at all difficult, but, of course, this process will have to be sacred a lot. You need to prepare the cabbage leaves, prepare a delicious minced meat filling, then you will need to wrap the cabbage leaves in neat rolls. But the special taste of this dish is worth it, all family members will be satisfied and your work will not go unnoticed. Therefore, free up a couple of hours and start preparing a masterpiece!
Secrets of delicious cabbage rolls
The oven, as you know, has the ability to slightly dry food, therefore, to preserve their juiciness, cabbage rolls are baked in all kinds of fillings and sauces. There are recipes for cooking cabbage rolls in the oven in sour cream filling, in tomato sauce, in tomato-sour cream filling. This dish turns out to be very tasty and tender in gravy based on sour cream or juice with the addition of spices, fresh herbs, vegetables.
The process of making stuffed cabbage always begins with the preparation of cabbage. First of all, the heads of cabbage are disassembled into separate leaves, then thickenings and rough parts are removed from each. Then the leaves are dipped in a saucepan and boiled until softened. Too hard parts can be slightly beaten off with a hammer.
The leaves, if you have prepared them correctly, should become translucent.
The most delicious stuffing for cabbage rolls is obtained from mixed minced meat (pork and beef are taken in equal proportions) with the addition of rice or buckwheat. If desired, you can put greens and vegetables in the filling.
To prevent the finished rolled cabbage rolls from unfolding during baking, first fasten them with a thread, a toothpick, or fry in a pan on each side.
All this concerns traditional stuffed cabbage, but today the recipe of stuffed cabbage has undergone great changes - in search of variety, culinary specialists wrap the filling in the leaves of Peking or Savoy cabbage. And as a filling, not only ordinary beef and pork are used, but also turkey and chicken, while adding mushrooms, vegetables, cottage cheese. You can add a few drops of wine to the stewing sauce - then the cabbage rolls will acquire a special piquancy and aroma.
It is very convenient that cabbage rolls can be prepared for several weeks in advance - just freeze the raw dish and store in the freezer. When you need it, just take them out of the freezer, prepare the sauce and, without defrosting, bake them in the oven, increasing the cooking time by 15-20 minutes.
Classic stuffed cabbage rolls in the oven
Unlike the usual method of cooking, baked cabbage rolls do not give their taste and aroma to water, on the contrary, their taste intensifies, acquiring new nuances.
What you need:
- White cabbage - 1 head of cabbage;
- Rice - ½ tbsp;
- Minced meat - ½ kg;
- Onion - 1 pc;
- Salt and pepper to taste.
For the pouring sauce:
- Tomato sauce - ½ l;
- Carrots - 1pc;
- Onion - 1 pc;
- Garlic - 3 cloves;
- Sour cream;
- Vegetable oil;
- Spice.
How to cook:
Cabbage heads for stuffed cabbage should be medium in size, its leaves should be thin and juicy. Try not to purchase new varieties of this vegetable, which are distinguished by very thick leaves - it is inconvenient to work with them.
Remove the first top leaves. Then, with a sharp knife with a thin blade, make deep enough cuts next to the stump. This trick speeds up the cooking process of cabbage, and it is much easier to separate the leaves.
Put a spacious saucepan on the fire, wait until it boils and lower the head of cabbage down with a stump. You need to cook for about 5 minutes.
After the allotted time, turn the cabbage so that the stump is on top, and boil for another three minutes. As a result, properly prepared cabbage should be soft, but under no circumstances decay. Remove the head of cabbage from the bowl and divide into leaves.
Then cut each separated sheet along the central vein, and it is better to cut it itself.
Now you can start stuffing:
First, put the rice to cook, and while it is cooking, you can do the meat. You need to cook cereals in salted water until half cooked.
Minced meat can be purely beef or pork, but it turns out much tastier if it is mixed in a 1/1 ratio.
Finely chop the onion and simmer over low heat until soft and transparent.
Throw the rice in a colander, you do not need to rinse it.
Mix the prepared minced meat with rice and onions, salt and pepper to taste.
Place a large spoonful of filling on the edge of the cabbage leaf and roll tightly to make an envelope. Continue until the minced meat ends.
Grease a baking dish well with oil and lay out all the resulting cabbage rolls.
Now you need to make a delicious fill:
In a small amount of oil, fry the onion, cut into thin half rings or cubes.
When the onion turns golden, add the grated carrots to it. You need to stew everything on the lowest heat until fully cooked.
Add tomato sauce to the vegetables. Homemade sauce is especially good. If it is not there, fresh mashed tomatoes will do (they will need about 1 kg) or tomato paste diluted in hot water (you will need a couple of tablespoons of it).
Simmer all together for a couple of minutes, add crushed garlic, salt, sugar and spices to taste. Sour cream will help soften the taste of the filling - two or three spoons are enough.
Pour the stuffed cabbage rolls in a baking sheet with the prepared sauce, cork tightly with foil and place in an oven preheated to 180-200 degrees.
The stuffed cabbage rolls are cooked in the oven for about half an hour, remove the foil five minutes before they are fully cooked, let the cabbage rolls lightly brown on top.
Serve an unusually tasty dish with sour cream or sauce.
Cabbage rolls with minced turkey and rice, wrapped in Chinese cabbage
Diversify your own menu and prepare especially tender cabbage rolls with turkey and savoy cabbage.
You will need:
- Peking cabbage - 1 head of cabbage;
- Turkey breast - 600 gr;
- Rice - 100g;
- Bulb onions - 3 pcs;
- Salt pepper.
For the pouring sauce you need:
- Cabbage broth - 1 tbsp;
- Tomato paste - 70 gr;
- Sour cream (cream) - 1 tbsp.;
- Salt pepper;
- Vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
How to cook:
To get started, prepare the necessary products.
Boil the rice for 15 minutes in lightly salted water, fold it on a sieve.
Rinse the turkey breast and cut into small pieces. Grind the meat and then the onion.
Mix the resulting minced meat with rice, season with salt and spices to taste.
Separate the Chinese cabbage leaves and rinse well. Then boil them in boiling water, three minutes will be enough. It is better to remove the thickened part of the leaves, it will be much more convenient to fold. If you plan to make small cabbage rolls, then the leaves can be divided in half.
Put 1-1.5 tablespoons on the leaves. mince spoons and wrap in a roll. Place the resulting rolls on a deep baking sheet or in a mold.
Add tomato paste, sour cream, butter, sugar and salt to a glass of the broth left after cooking the leaves. Mix everything well. If you like garlic, you can add it as well.
Pour the stuffed cabbage rolls with the resulting mixture and send to the oven preheated to 180 degrees for about half an hour.
Serve them hot, sprinkled with chopped herbs.
Lazy stuffed cabbage rolls in the oven
It happens that you just want cabbage rolls, but there is no time to cook them. After all, this process takes quite a lot of time. However, there is a way out - you can cook lazy cabbage rolls. Their composition is the same, the taste and aroma are the same, and they are made several times faster.
What you need:
- Minced meat - 600 gr;
- Fresh cabbage - 300 gr;
- Rice - 4 tablespoons;
- Bulb;
- Large carrots;
- Chicken egg - 1 pc;
- Salt and pepper to taste;
- Vegetable oil;
- Breadcrumbs or flour;
- Tomato sauce or sour cream.
Cooking method:
First you need to chop the cabbage. It is advisable to do it smaller - it tastes better. And so that the cabbage rolls are easily formed, pour the chopped cabbage for 5-10 minutes with boiling water, and then drain the liquid.
Chop the onion and fry in a little vegetable oil. Grate the carrots on a medium grater and add to the onion when it becomes transparent and soft. Put out everything until tender.
Boil the rice as usual in salted water. It is better to choose round varieties of rice, it is not only tastier, but also, due to the high starch content, glues the filling components together.
Combine cabbage, onions with carrots, meat and mix thoroughly. Any mince can be used. Add egg, salt and pepper.
Knead the mass well, if it turns out to be too dense, pour in a little water or a decoction of bay leaf.
Form the minced meat into identical cutlets and bread them in flour or breadcrumbs. Place in a greased baking dish.
Pour the cabbage rolls with thick tomato juice or ketchup and place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. You need to bake them for about half an hour. The dish is served with tomato sauce or sour cream.
Stuffed cabbage rolls with minced chicken, baked in the oven
In the oven, stuffed cabbage rolls with minced chicken turn out to be more juicy than those cooked on the stove. Chicken is not as fatty as pork, so as a result, the finished dish will turn out to be less high-calorie.
You will need:
- White cabbage - 1 head of cabbage;
- Chicken fillet - 550 gr;
- Boiled rice - 180 gr;
- Bulb;
- Carrot;
- Tomatoes - 2 pcs;
- Vegetable oil;
- Salt and spices.
For refueling:
- Chicken broth - 1 tbsp;
- Tomato juice - 1 tbsp;
- Bulb;
- Carrot;
- Sour cream - 180 gr;
- Garlic and condiments.
It is better if the juice is made by hand, thick and rich.
Pass the chicken fillet through a meat grinder or chop with a blender. Stir the minced meat with boiled rice and stewed grated carrots. Add tomatoes, a spoonful of oil, spices to this and mix well.
Place the cabbage leaves in a large container and cover with boiling water. Place on the stove and cook after boiling for four minutes. Remove and cool.
Then put about a large spoonful of minced meat in each sheet and wrap it in an envelope. Place them on a baking sheet.
Chop carrots and onions and simmer in vegetable oil. Add tomato juice, seasonings and simmer for 8 minutes.
Fill the cabbage rolls with broth, gravy on top and sprinkle with crushed garlic and herbs.
Seal the baking sheet with foil on top and place in a hot oven (190 degrees) for 40 minutes. Then remove the shelter and simmer the dish for another 20 minutes, pouring sour cream on top.
Cabbage rolls under a vegetable coat
You will need:
- Cabbage - 1kg;
- Minced meat - 450 gr;
- Boiled rice - 170 gr;
- Bulb;
- Carrot;
- Water - ½ tbsp;
- Cheese - 170 gr;
- Tomatoes - 4 pcs;
- Sour cream - ½ tbsp;
- Vegetable oil;
- Salt pepper;
- Greens, garlic.
Place the cabbage in the microwave for 6 minutes, and then pour over the head of cabbage with cold water, so the leaves will separate much easier.
Combine rice, meat and vegetable frying, salt, season and knead well.
Wrap the filling in rolls in cabbage leaves and place on a baking sheet. Next, fill the semi-finished products with water, seal with foil and put in the oven for 35 minutes. The temperature should be around 190 degrees.
Chop the tomatoes, mix them with garlic, grated cheese, sour cream, herbs and spices. Spread the mixture evenly on cabbage rolls and return them to the oven for another 12-15 minutes.
It turns out to be a very beautiful, mouth-watering and aromatic dish.
Lean cabbage rolls with mushrooms
Those who observe fasting, or simply prefer dietary food, can replace minced meat with mushrooms, and instead of rice, take buckwheat, bulgur, couscous.
You will need:
- Rice - ½ tbsp;
- Mushrooms - 400 gr;
- White or Peking cabbage - 900 gr;
- Carrots - 2 pcs;
- Tomatoes, tomato juice or pasta - 400 gr;
- Greens;
- Pepper, salt;
- Vegetable oil.
Simmer carrots, onions and chopped mushrooms in hot oil.
Boil rice or other cereals, if desired, until tender. Pour boiling water over the cabbage and boil for a few minutes.
Combine rice, mushrooms, seasonings in a deep bowl. Put the filling in the cooled leaves and form cabbage rolls.
Put the blanks in a mold, pour in tomato puree and place in the oven, bake the dish at 180 degrees for 40 minutes.
Tomato sauce can be replaced with sour cream, 0 cream, add grated cheese and broth.
Such stuffed cabbage rolls with vegetable salads, all kinds of sauces and croutons are very tasty.
