Description
With a few tweaks to this traditional rice-based dish, these Grain-Free Turkey Cabbage Rolls were born. Not only is this dish eye-catching, but it is the definition of delicious, healthy comfort food!
Ingredients
For the Rolls and Filling:
1 head green, napa or savoy cabbage
1/2 cup onion- diced
1 large clove garlic- minced
1 large or 2 small carrots- shredded
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 lb ground turkey or chicken
For the Cauliflower Rice:
10 oz frozen cauliflower rice or 1 1/2 cups fresh riced cauliflower
1/4 –1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pepper fresh parsley (optional, but good if you have it on hand)
For the Sauce:
1 25 oz jar marinara sauce
OR
1 25 oz container Italian chopped tomatoes (nothing added)
1/2 cup onion- diced
1 large clove garlic- minced
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
pepper
1–2 tsp honey (optional if a sweeter sauce is desired)
Instructions
For the Sauce: (If making homemade, start the sauce first)
- Sauté 1/2 cup diced onion and 1 clove garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil until softened.
- Add chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper.
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit.
- Taste and adjust salt/pepper as desired. Add 1-2 tsp if desired for sweetness.
- Blend with immersion or regular blender for a smooth consistency if desired.
For the Filling:
- Sauté 1/2 cup onion and 1 large garlic clove in 1 Tbsp olive oil until softened.
- Add onion and garlic to a large bowl with shredded carrot, 1 lb ground turkey, filling spices and cauliflower rice. (See below for cooking instructions)
For the Cauliflower Rice:
- Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large skillet.
- Add frozen or fresh riced cauliflower to the skillet with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Sauté until all of the water is absorbs and cauliflower is tender, not mushy! This takes about 5-7 minutes.
- Toss finished rice with 2 Tbsp fresh parsley. Add rice to the large bowl with the rest of the filling ingredients.
To Assemble:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spoon about 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of an 8 x 10 or 9 x 11 baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Carefully remove 12 large cabbage leaves. Try to keep them whole.
- One or two at a time, submerge the cabbage leaves in the boiling water for 5-10 seconds to soften the leaves. This makes it easier to roll.
- Using a sharp knife, remove the thick middle part of the cabbage leaf. This thick part makes it too difficult to roll. (See below)
- Lay the cabbage leaf flat and place about 1/4 cup of filling mixture at the top. Then roll the leaf around the filling, tucking in the sides as you go to make a cute little egg roll shape.
- Repeat this process until the filling is all gone. For me, this was 12 cabbage leaves.
- Top with sauce.
- Cover with foil and cook at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until the sauce surrounding the rolls is bubbly. I like to remove the cover during the last 10 minutes or so.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Keep leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. These are fantastic leftover!
This amount of sauce this recipe makes is more than I used for our cabbage rolls. I freeze any unused sauce for a quick future meals!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 45 minutes