Lazy cabbage rolls with cabbage and minced meat

Lazy cabbage rolls with cabbage and minced meat resemble large meat patties in appearance, but the taste is just like that of real classic cabbage rolls made from pork mince. Now you no longer have to deal with cabbage leaves, choosing the best ones for wrapping the filling. Fresh cabbage is simply shredded, quickly sautéed in a pan, and mixed into the rice-meat filling. In this recipe, the fat content of the pork will not be a hindrance; on the contrary, it will enhance the dish's flavor. Baking the cabbage rolls makes the process even lazier: everything is neatly placed in a baking dish, covered with sauce, and the oven is entrusted with cooking the dish to perfection.

Cooking time: 100 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings.

Caloric content: 183 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Ingredients

• pork – 400 g;
• steamed rice – 130 g;
• cabbage – ¼ head;
• carrot – 1 pc;
• onion – 1 pc;
• vegetable oil – 60 ml;
• cream 15-20 % - 2 tbsp;
• tomato sauce – 150 ml;
• salt – to taste.

Preparation

1. To prepare lazy cabbage rolls with cabbage and minced meat, cut a quarter of a large head of cabbage. For the sauce, use tomato sauce—it is thick, aromatic, with a distinct spiciness and a hint of bell pepper. If using tomato juice, add a quarter teaspoon of ground black pepper and diced half of a sweet pepper.

2. Boil the steamed rice until soft. You can cook the grains in salted water or add salt to taste after boiling.

3. Chop the onion and carrot, and place them in a frying pan. Pour in vegetable oil.

4. Sauté the vegetables lightly until the onion is translucent.

5. Shred the cabbage. The strips should be thinner and shorter than for salad cutting.

6. Cover the frying pan with a lid and sauté the vegetables on low heat for 8-10 minutes. Do not add water to the pan; the released cabbage juice is enough for steaming. Salt the hot cabbage to taste.

7. Blend the pork in a blender at high speed. Combine the minced meat with the rice.

8. Pour the stewed cabbage into the bowl with rice and minced meat, and mix.

9. Shape very large elongated lazy cabbage rolls. They are so big that one is enough for a serving. Place the cabbage rolls in a ceramic dish, pressing them tightly against each other. This way, less tomato sauce will be needed.

10. Mix the tomato sauce with the thick cream until smooth.

11. Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls.

12. Place the dish on the middle rack of the oven and set the temperature to 180 degrees. Bake the lazy cabbage rolls with cabbage, rice, and minced meat for 50 minutes.

13. The sauce will bake onto the cabbage rolls, creating a nice orange crust. Serve the cabbage rolls hot. If necessary, the dish can be stored in the refrigerator for two days, but before serving on plates, it is preferable to reheat the cabbage rolls to restore their original flavor.