This is a great traditional recipe I learned from my mother. It is very sweet though, so feel free to leave out some of the sugar or honey if you want to cut back on the sweetness. If you get lazy the sauce is also great for unstuffed cabbage or meatballs. I call for instant rice, which I usually shy away from, but is necessary here to make sure it cooks all the way through.
- 3 lbs Ground Beef
- 1 Cup Instant Rice
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- Salt and Pepper To Taste
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 Large Head of Green Cabbage Frozen, and thawed
- 87 oz Tomato Sauce 3 Large Cans
- 1 Cup Ketchup
- 1 Cup Duck Sauce
- 1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Honey
- Salt and Pepper To Taste
- Heavy Pot or Dutch Oven
- Freezer
- Kitchen Scale
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About four days before you plan on making your stuffed cabbage, freeze the whole head for 3 days. Then thaw for a day. This helps to break down the cell walls of the cabbage which softens it.
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Separate the leaves, trimming down any thick stalks. If leaves are particularly large you can cut them in half, but I would wait and see how big you want to make your filling before doing this.
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In a large mixing bowl combine the meat, eggs, rice, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Use your hands, they are the best tools for the job.
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Grab a handful of the meat mixture. Ideally use your kitchen scale and weight out a 1/4 lb of the mixture for each roll. Form a thick log and place it horizontally an inch or so from the the bottom of the cabbage leaf.
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Roll the cabbage leaf up, until the bottom of the leaf reaches the top of the meat. The fold the sides over the ends of the meat and then continue to roll the cabbage leaf the rest of the way around the meat. Repeat until you have used all of the meat. It should make about 12 rolls. Make sure they are rolled tight so they do not open when cooking.
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Add the tomato sauce, sugar, honey, and duck sauce to a large heavy pot or dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Put the sauce over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Stir regularly to make sure the sauce does not burn.
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Carefully add the cabbage rolls to the sauce making sure the rolls stay intact. Cook for about 2 hours, or until the leaves are tender. Serve immediately, refrigerate for up to a week, or wrap tightly and freeze.