Stuffed Cabbage

One of my grandmother’s specialties was stuffed cabbage. During one of my visits with her, I tried to pin down the recipe, but no luck. She said she never wrote down these recipes, she just did them. She did, however, write down the ingredients she used. Here is the piece of paper that I kept from her all these years.




I took that list and formulated it into this recipe, which my dad says is better than his own mother’s!

Stuffed Cabbage
Serves 4-6

1 large head cabbage
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 small onion, grated
1 cup uncooked white rice
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup seedless raisins
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice

1. Parboil cabbage until leaves are softened. Gently remove leaves from core.
2. Combine beef, onion, rice, water, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl; mix well. Place about 2 tablespoons on one end of each leaf. Fold bottom of leaf over beef mixture; fold over sides and continue rolling to enclose filling.
3. Tear extra leaves and place in bottom of a Dutch oven. In a large bowl, combine tomato puree, brown sugar, raisins, pineapple juice, vinegar, lemon juice and remaining salt; mix well. Add to pot.
4. Place rolls in pot, seam side down. Cover and simmer over low heat for 2 hours.

(For those of you counting points, it comes out to be 11 points per serving.)