This recipe is one of my mother’s favorites for pot luck meals. All of the goodness of stuffed cabbage rolls without the extra work of making the rolls. Plus, everything can be prepared in one deep pan on the stove top.

There is a lot of room for personalizing this dish. I like a little more tomato flavor to mine, so I add one can of tomato paste. For those who like rice in their cabbage rolls, rice can be added. For uncooked long grain rice, increase the liquid by two cups (water, vegetable or beef stock), and add one cup rice once the everything has reached a boil. The rice will absorb most of the liquid give the dish more body.

Ingredients

1½ to 2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small cabbage, chopped
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
½ cup water
2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, stirring, until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender.
2. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasonings, and cabbage. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover and reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally,  for 20 to 30 minutes or until cabbage is tender.

Note:Adjust seasoning to taste while simmering.