Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients

• 1 large head of cabbage, with dark green leaves
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 envelopedry onion soup mix (like Lipton's Onion Soup Mix 2 envelopes per box])
• 1/2 small onion, chopped fine
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
• 1 cup instant rice
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons dry beef bouillon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water

• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can tomato soup

• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup milk or cream (not skim or 2%)
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced in 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. 2

   Spray and 9x13 [3 quart] metal roasting pan with Pam or other oil spray.

3. 3

   Fill large cooking pot [at least twice the size of the head of cabbage] 3/4 full with water. Add a dash of salt. Bring to a boil.

4. 4

   While the water is coming to a boil,remove the core from the cabbage [this is the dense part at the top of the cabbage head] with a paring knife by cutting around it until you can pull it out. Put the cabbage in the boiling water with the core removed side down. Cover and cook for ten minutes.

5. 5

   Remove the cover and carefully take out the cabbage head and put it in a drainer in the sink. Remove the loose cabbage leaves being careful not to tear them. When you get to leaves that won't easily come loose, return the cabbage to the hot water and let it sit for about ten minutes. Then you can remove more leaves. Continue this until all the leaves are removed and in the drainer. Do not discard the water.

6. 6

   In a medium mixing bowl, add ground beef, soup mix, onion, garlic, rice, egg and 1 teaspoon of the dry beef bullion and 1/4 cup of the water. Mix very well with your hands making sure that all the ingredients blend together.

7. 7

   Take a cabbage leaf and fill the center with the ground beef mix. Each leaf will be a different size so you will have to alter the amount you put in each leaf as you go along. A large leaf takes about 2 tablespoons and a small leaf about 1 tablespoon. When the leaf is filled with the ground beef, fold over the top and sides and roll up. Place the cabbage roll in the roasting pan with the end of the leaf face down.

8. 8

   Continue this until all the filling is used up. Cover the cabbage rolls with remaining cabbage leaves. Surround the cabbage with sliced carrots.

9. 9

   Mix tomato soup and sauce together with 1 tablespoon beef bullion. Add 1 3/4 cups of water from the cabbage pot and 1 cup of rich milk or cream. [It is best to mix a little of the water with the milk to warm it up before adding to sauce]. Mix this until there are no lumps and ingredients are well blended.

10. 10

    Pour the sauce over the cabbage, carrots and cabbage rolls to about 1/2 inch from the top of the pan. If you have sauce left, save it for serving with the meal. Bring the leftover sauce to a boil in a small pot. Cook ten minutes, shut off and set to side.

11. 11

    Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and place on a cookie sheet covered with foil. Place in center of oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours. You will know this is done when you can insert a fork into the cabbage or carrots and it comes out easily. This means everything is tender and cooked.

12. 12

    To serve, place cabbage and cabbage rolls in a serving bowl surrounded by carrots. Serve sauce in a gravy boat. A nice big bowl of mashed potatoes rounds out the meal.

13. 13

    If you made stove top sauce, add it to the gravy in the roasting pan.

14. 14

    TIP: If sauce is thin, place the roasting pan on the stove, over a medium heat [small flame for gas or number5 on electric stove]. Mix 3 tablesoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Add to sauce. Let cook for 10 minutes. If you like you sauce thicker, just add more cornstarch mix until it is the consistency you like for gravy.