MAIN DISHES: MEAT
TESTER’S COMMENTS
I grew up eating stuffed cabbage rolls (we called it “pig in a blanket”), and the flavors of the traditional dish as I know it are replicated here wonderfully. This recipe halves easily for a smaller quantity.
–C.S.
2½ to 3 |
pounds lean ground beef |
1 |
onion, chopped |
2 |
eggs |
¾ |
cup ketchup |
½ |
cup cooked rice |
½ |
cup bread crumbs, seasoned or unseasoned |
2 |
teaspoons Worcestershire sauce |
1 |
medium to large cabbage, chopped |
2 |
cans (10.5 ounces each) condensed tomato soup |
1 |
can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice |
1 |
can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes, with juice |
|
mashed potatoes (optional) |
Preheat oven to 350°F. Use a roasting pan with high lid (such as a turkey roaster) or see tip below for alternative.
In a bowl, combine ground beef, onions, eggs, ketchup, rice, bread crumbs, and Worcestershire sauce and mix to blend. Shape into loaf and place in roasting pan. Spread chopped cabbage around and over loaf. (Cabbage will cook down.)
In another bowl, mix together tomato soup, 1½ cans water, and diced and stewed tomatoes. Pour over cabbage and meat. Cover with lid. Bake for 3 to 3½ hours, or until cabbage is tender, stirring cabbage gently halfway through. Serve over mashed potatoes, if desired.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
I come from a large family, and sometimes there just was not time to put together a recipe the way it should be done, e.g., cabbage roll-ups. When I was in high school, I experimented and found that making one big loaf saves time and tastes exactly as meat rolled in individual cabbage leaves. My mom was not always happy about it, but she could see how it saved time.
Christine Strainer, New Market, Tennessee
The reason for the high-top roaster is to let the cabbage and tomato mixture steam undisturbed, except for stirring halfway through. You can improvise by using a shallow aluminum pan (13×9 inches, with 3-inch-high sides) topped by a 9×8-inch aluminum pan with 4½-inch sides. Seal the edges with crimped aluminum foil, then poke four vent holes in the “lid.” Support the bottom pan with a baking sheet. Undo the foil to check and stir the dish halfway through.