Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Cabbage Casserole

If you like cabbage rolls, you're sure to love this very easy recipe that tastes just like a cabbage roll!  My grandma used to make cabbage rolls for us all the time growing up, but as she got older, she just couldn't do it anymore.  So, the Cabbage Casserole came to be!  I'm so glad it did!  This is a CHEAP, healthy and delicious meal for your family!  I can't wait for you to try it!

A little side note.....mine was pretty mushy, but I panicked and added a ton of water!  LOL  I later learned I would have been fine without the 5 cups I added!  LOL  (Live and learn!)  So, one way to prevent extremely soggy rice is to use brown rice because it holds up better in the slow cooker.  I only had white rice on hand, so I used it.  Soggy?  Yes.  Wonderful tasting, ABSOLUTELY!!!!

P.S.  This is a mainly vegetarian dish, but my grandma always adds the turkey sausage on top!  Not sure why, but it tastes SOOO good with it!  So, if you're vegetarian, just leave the turkey sausage off the top :)

Cabbage Casserole

Ingredients:
1 medium head of cabbage, chopped
1 onion, chopped
14.5 oz. can diced garlic and onion tomatoes (if you don't have garlic and onion, just use regular diced tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups rice (I would use brown because it holds up better in the Slow Cooker, but I used white because I was out of brown)
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped (use the leftover from your bunch to make Tabulli later in the week!)
3/4 cup lemon juice, divided
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 10oz. package smoked turkey sausage links
3-4 cups water

Directions:
In the Slow Cooker insert, place your chopped cabbage and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and pour 1/4 cup lemon juice over it.
(I used my 7 Quart for this....I don't think the 4 Quart would have held this amount, so you'd have to cut in half)

Next, in a bowl, mix the onion, diced tomatoes, parsley, rice, 1/2 cup lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.

Pour mixture over the top of the cabbage and spread evenly.  Pour water over the top.

Lastly, arrange your turkey sausage links on top like so.

Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.

Enjoy!
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45 comments:

  1. A reader left a comment on my blog to come and check you out. I could not believe it when I saw this post. Cabbage rolls are my husband's favorite but I have never made them. I am all about the crock pot, so I will be trying your recipe out with him.

    I hope you don't mind me linking to you.

    Michelle
    www.moneysavingmadness.com

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  2. Hi Michelle!

    I don't mind you linking at all! :) The more the merrier! :) Let me know how it turns out when you make it!

    Hope

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  3. I have been reading through your blog. I may be linking to you every day! LOL! Your recipes sound wonderful.

    I really can't wait to try them and share them with my readers.

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  4. Thanks Michelle! I checked out your site and it's awesome! I'll be back daily!! :)

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  5. This is in the crockpot as we speak! I can't wait!

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  6. I made this recipe last night and none of us liked it. It was way too tart and I followed the recipe exactly. Also, parsley was listed in the ingredients, but was not metioned at all in the directions.

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    1. Sorry you didn't enjoy it. Everyone has different taste buds! Thank you for letting me know about the parsley error.

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    2. I think anonymous had a good idea to make this taste more like a cabbage roll. Some sort of tomato sauce or tomato juice has to be added to make it taste like traditional cabbage rolls.

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    3. Yeah, I was excited to make this but unfortunately, it wasn't very good :(. As anonymous said, WAY too tart! I don't know why lemon juice is even added when you already have acidic tomatoes...the best part was the sausage so I'm glad I didn't omit it! No offense. I'm sure people like it- just not for us.

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  7. To achieve the cabbage roll effect: Shred the cabbage,(u decide the size)on bottom of slo-cooker, about 2 in. high! Cabbage shrinks, then..add salt, pepper, and onion powder.Layer a portion of meat onto layer of cabbge, add a rice layer, then REPEAT all, one more time!
    Add a jar of pasta sauce, or tomato sauce (at least 20 oz.)and SLOWLY add 2 cups of water to the pot to spread the tomatoes!! Cook on low 6-7 hrs. or high 5 hrs. Bon Appetito!!

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    1. This is very similar to my CABBAGE LASAGNE!!Layer the bottom of slo-cooker with thinly sliced cabbage....Layer meat mixture (containing rice, salt..pepper...and ONION on top of cabbage! Repeat layer one more time, finishing with cabbage...then add tomato sauce with two cups of water!!!
      You will LOVE this recipe, and it is a very CHEAP meal to fix!! If you don't want meat, just leave IT OUT!This certainly beats softening the leaves of cabbage, and the rolling process!!

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    2. Yum! You guys all have such great ideas!

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    3. I will use left over Corn beef from ST.Patrick day :o)

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    4. To Anonymous, RE: Cabbage Lasagne, is the meat raw mixed with the rice?

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  8. Just have to say that I must make a grocery run tomorrow for cabbage! I can barely wait to try these!

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  9. I used to make this for my family as they eliminate a lot of the time consuming rolling. My kids called them "broken cabbage rolls"

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  10. Did you cook rice before you put it into the slow cooker??

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  11. This was terrible - nobody would eat it. The 3/4 cup lemon juice must be wrong! It was soooooo tart. What a waste of my groceries. Also you did not say what size can of tomatoes. If I ever try this again (doubtfully) I would certainly leave out the lemon juice. Comments I received were - NASTY! YUK! THROW THIS OUT!

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    1. It's too bad you didn't like it. Perhaps you're not a big fan of lemon juice in the first place. Have a great day!

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    2. I agree not my favorite!

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    3. she does say what size of can of tomatoes and she is a bigger person than me because I wouldn't be able to kill you with kindness for your rude remarks like she has - classy gal :)

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  12. This sounds wonderful! I can't wait to try it. I also love the variations from the other posters. Yummy :)
    Have a wonderful day.
    Debra in Texas

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  13. is the meat cooked or raw?

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    1. All those packaged sausages are pre-cooked. Don't brown them ahead of time AND cook them in the slow cooker or they will be VERY well done ;)

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  14. did it and I loved it :)... I had to cut the recipe in half, due to the size of my 'rice cooker' AND may I suggest to 'mix' all the ingredients after you add the "pour mixture over top of cabbage' step... it seems some of the rice were not soft. maybe its a 'rice cooker' issue :).. AND use a large can of tomatoes.. . nonetheless.. thanks so much Busy CP Mom heheh I'll have to experiment with this recipe a lil bit more :D

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    1. Glad to hear it, Jimmy! Now, we need to get you a slow cooker ;) LOL

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  15. Sounds delicious! I see some people have very strong opinions about this recipe. I have a suggestion that might help the few who didn't like it. Did you use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh? Bottled lemon juice could destroy the flavor of a perfectly good recipe. Bottled lemon juice is bitter and awful! I always use fresh or leave it out all together. Hope that helps!

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  16. This sounds delicious. Going to buy ingredients tomorrow to fix it in my Hamilton Beach 7 Quart slow cooker. I would love to be able to Pin this recipe...

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  17. You say put on Slow Cooker insert- mine does not have one. Could I just add cabbage to bottom?

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    1. By insert, I mean the crock. But yes, you just put cabbage in the bottom ;)

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  18. I prefer white rice so would it be better to add the rice to the last hour of cooking to prevent the rice from getting to soggy?

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  19. reading the comments i read one about the parsley not being in the directions huh yes it is. i think people who can:t cook very good seemed to not follow directions either i think it sounds good and i am going to make it and i might change a few things only because i never had this before and i have other ingredients that might work well with this recipe. i love cooking, crocking, and experimenting too.

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    1. I went back and edited it ;) I'm glad you like experimenting :)

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  21. I am 85. My mother made cabbage rolls, my grandmother made cabbage rolls and I have made cabbage rolls but this dish tasted nothing like the real thing. My son would not eat it and I didn't eat it either after the 1st taste. I also started to make it with shredded cabbage to eliminate the rolling of rolls but mine is the original ground beef, rice, grated onion and tomato juice and water. Cooks in a pot on the stove till rice is done (not long). Lemon juice would never occur to me. Can send you the recipe if you'd like to have it. It's delicious.

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