It's better stuffed

I love recipes that find replacements for pasta, and this recipe totally fit the bill. The flavor was amazing, I absolutely loved these. The Husband didn't like them quite as much as me, but that was alright because it left more for me to enjoy! The only change I made was to chop up the extra cabbage leaves and add them to the filling. It bulked up the filling and added even more veggies to the meal. :) Oh, and of course I used ground chicken instead of beef.

Stuffed Cabbage
from Pennies on a Platter

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 medium head (about 2 pounds) green cabbage
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup cooked rice (white or brown)
• 1/4 cup raisins (I use golden)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (16 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13- by 9-inch pan with cooking spray or oil.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut in a circle all around the stem of the cabbage and remove the core. Place the cabbage in the boiling water. After about 2 minutes an outside leaf will come loose--pull it off and out of the water using tongs. After another minute the next leaf will come loose. Remove and repeat until you have 8 to 10 leaves. Pat the leaves dry with paper towels. Cut out the thick part of the rib from the bottom of each leaf, but don't cut more than a third of the way into the leaf.

In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, cooled onion, rice, raisins, and salt. With the stem side of the cabbage leaf facing you, place 1/3-1/2 cup of the beef mixture in the center of each cabbage leaf. Fold the bottom edge over the mixture and then fold the sides over and roll into a tidy packet. Place the cabbage rolls, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.

In a bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, broth, and paprika. Pour evenly over the cabbage rolls. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Serve with sour cream if desired.