Seriously Stuffed Cabbage

Christmas dinner is always far from traditional in my house. Two years ago, we went for All You Can Eat Sushi; last year, we went to a lobster/seafood/sushi buffet, but this year, since I was put in charge of cooking, I decided we would do something a little more true to our roots- Stuffed Cabbage! It's been a while since I've had stuffed cabbage, and I always remembered loving the sweet and sour sauce it was in, so naturally, my stuffed cabbage had to have that same tangy sauce that I grew up with. Of course,

To make these Seriously Stuffed Cabbage leaves, you will need
1 large green cabbage boiled and separated into leaves
1 large head of cauliflower riced or pureed in a food processor
2 medium onions chopped
1 12 oz pack of mushrooms chopped
1 12 oz pack ground chicken breast (I use the 98% fat free)
spices of your choice to season the meat/veggie mixture (I used onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, and a little cayenne)
2 small cans of tomato sauce (or 1 can of tomato sauce and 1 can of chopped/crushed tomatoes as I did)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (I didn't have any, so I used coconut vinegar, and it came out just fine!)
1 T stevia
Enough water to fully cover all of the cabbage leaves in the sauce as they cook
optional: any additional veggies you may see fit. I used some celery, carrots, scallions, and chives because that's what we had in the fridge, but feel free to throw in peppers, corn, zucchini, tomato, spinach, etc

To prepare, combine the cauliflower, onions, mushrooms, ground chicken, spices, and any additional veggies in a large bowl until everything is well incorporated. Then, take each cabbage leaf and place a small dollop of filling inside the leaf- closer to the stem of the leaf, and fold each side in, and then roll up and roll until there is no more leaf to roll into, in order to form little pockets. The art of folding is a technique in itself, but once you get the hang of it, it's smooth sailing. (If my description doesn't make sense, or if you're having a hard time, feel free to comment below or email me and I'll be happy to try to assist further!). After rolling each little pocket, place them in layers in a large pot, one on top of another until you run out of leaves/filling. Finally, combine the tomato sauce, vinegar, and stevia together and pour over your leaves. Then, put as much water is needed to bring the sauce up higher in the pot- almost to the point where the leaves are fully submerged. Cook on a low heat for about 2 hours or until you feel the chicken is fully cooked and has had enough time to lock in all of those flavors. This recipe yield a huge pot of stuffed cabbage, so if you're cooking for one or a few, feel free to freeze some and save it for a later date.I've had success freezing and thawing these puppies in the past before with no problem!

Also, note: for vegetarians, simply omit the ground chicken! Pin It