Deconstructed Cabbage Roll Casserole

Deconstructed Cabbage Roll Casserole

All the great flavours of classic cabbage rolls with a little less time an effort!

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 1

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Eastern European

Keyword: cabbage rolls, carmelized cabbage, casseroles

Servings:

Calories: 629kcal

Ingredients

4 sausages
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
720 ml passata
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp sweet paprika
salt and pepper to taste
5 cups roughly chopped or shredded cabbage
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 tbsp butter
sour cream for serving (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the fillings for the layers

In a medium sized skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over med. high heat. Add the shredded cabbage and cook until slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Remove the sausages from their casings, discard the casing and add the sausage meat to the pan along with the onion. Cook until the onion and sausage are nicely browned, using a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon to break up the sausage meat about 6-8 minutes.
Add the garlic, and paprika and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the passata to the pan along with 1/2 cup water.
Bring to a simmer and let cook for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more paprika and salt and pepper as needed.
Reserve about 3/4 cup of the sauce, for serving alongside the casserole.
While the sauce is simmering prepare the rice.
Rinse the rice 3-4 times in cool water to remove excess starch.
Place the rice in a pot with 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and let gently simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside until ready to assemble the casserole.
Note: the rice will still be quite el dente, it will finish cooking in the sauce in the oven.

Assemble the casserole

Pre Heat oven to 175°C / 350°F
Spread a few tablespoons of the tomato sauce evenly across the bottom of a baking/ casserole dish. ( 28 x 18 cm / 11 x 7 inches)
Add half of the rice to the dish and cover with half of the sauce mixture. Top with half of the caramelized cabbage.
Layer on the remaining rice, sauce and finally top with the rest of the cabbage.
Dot the top with butter and bake for 20-30 minutes until the sauce is starting to bubble.
Serve with reserved sauce and sour cream (if using)

Notes

Make ahead

The cabbage and sauce for the casserole can be made a day ahead of time and kept, refrigerated. All it takes is a few minutes to prep the rice, then layer the ingredients and bake.

The baked casserole will keep refrigerated for 2-3 days, or frozen for 2-3 months.

Nutrition

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