Slow-Cooker Whole Stuffed Cabbage
Cabbage rolls without the rolling: a whole cabbage packed with beef and rice and slow cooked in sweet tomato sauce.
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Ingredients
- 1 medium head green cabbage about 2 to 2 1/2 lb
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce divided
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes undrained
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Pull off any loose outer leaves. Cut about 1 inch off the top of the cabbage and set the top aside.
- With a paring knife and a sturdy spoon, cut out the core and hollow the cabbage from the top, leaving walls about 1 inch thick. Finely chop 1 cup of the cabbage you removed.
- In a bowl, mix the ground beef, rice, chopped cabbage, onion, garlic, egg, salt, pepper, paprika and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce with your hands.
- Pack the filling into the hollow cabbage, pressing it down gently. Set the cabbage upright in a 6-quart oval slow cooker and put the top back on like a lid.
- Stir the rest of the tomato sauce with the diced tomatoes, brown sugar and vinegar. Pour it over and around the cabbage. Tuck any leftover chopped cabbage into the sauce.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, until a thermometer pushed into the center of the filling reads 165°F.
- Lift the cabbage out with two large spatulas onto a platter. Cut into wedges and spoon the sauce over the top.
Notes
Check the center with a thermometer: it must reach 165°F, the USDA temperature for casseroles. Make sure your cabbage fits your slow cooker with the lid closed before you start.
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