Easy Napa Cabbage Rolls
Easy Napa Cabbage Rolls is my way of helping my husband connect to his Polish roots. In my Italian home we made cabbage rolls stuffed with a meatball mixture and rolled in the curly cabbage. The Polish method is time-consuming, but so worth the wait. I had to find something in between to fill the house with that aroma.
I love to use napa cabbage in soups and salads; and so, I thought about using it in cabbage roll making. The first time I tried it, I left the stems in which made the packets hard to roll. Then I decided to cut out the hard stem. To shorten the processing time, I omitted the cooking of the cabbage, and it worked. I softened the cabbage by washing it in warm water; if the cabbage is larger, immerse the leaves in warm water for a few minutes.
The sauce has a secret ingredient.
Take the sausage out of the casings and brown.
Add the cooked rice to the pan and stir together.
The napa cabbage leaves are easy to work with. Cut away the hard core and then make a little package.
Place 1 tbsp of filling into each little cabbage leaf cup.
Tightly nestle all the cabbage rolls together.
Pour every drop of the sauce over the rolls and add 1/2 cup of cold water to the pan. Cover and place in a 350 F oven for 45 minutes and then remove the cover and cook for a further 15 minutes.
I can’t wait for these to come out of the oven.
Simple served with some pierogi, these cabbage rolls are easy, tasty and hearty.
Easy Napa Cabbage Rolls
Easy Napa Cabbage Rolls is my way of helping my husband connect to his Polish roots.
Ingredients
The stuffing
- 1 cup arborio rice cooked
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 turkey sausages casings removed
- 1 large onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
The Sauce
- 1 can condensed tomato soup
- 4 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
The leaves
- ` large napa cabbage
Instructions
The stuffing
-
Cook rice as per package directions and drain.
Saute onion in 2 tbsp of olive oil.
Remove the sausage from the casings and brown the meat with the onions.
Add the drained rice and cook for a few minutes.
Once mixed, set a side to cool.
The sauce
-
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
The assembly
-
Remove the leaves from the napa cabbage and wash under warm water to soften.
Prepare a 9 X 13 pan by greasing it with a little canola oil.
Lay the leaves on a cutting board and remove the hard core.
Make little packages by overlapping the flaps of the cabbage.
Place a tbsp of the stuffing picture in the centre and roll into little packages.
Put into the prepared pan and nestle together.
Pour the sauce over the packets.
Add 1/4 cup of water or white wine to the cabbage rolls.
Cover with tin foil and place in a 350 F oven for 45 minutes.
Remove foil and cook for another 15 minutes. Sauce should be thick.
Serve with pierogi.
I made cabbage rolls today with regular green cabbage, having placed the cabbage in boiling water to soften leaves. However, after cooking the stuffed leaves for 50 minutes, covered with sauce, the cabbage leaves weren’t cooked! Do you have this problem with the nappa cabbage rolls? It’s a less tough cabbage, so perhaps it would work better. I hope you reply. Thanks.
Hi Lois, I always use the napa cabbage for this recipe. For regular cabbage I boil it or use the microwave to soften it. If using the microwave take the core out of the cabbage and wrap your cabbage in plastic wrap. Place in the microwave for 6 minutes and leaves are soft. I always remove the stem of any leaves following the same method as in this recipe. Hope this helps.
Love this Napa Cabbage Rolls recipe. Because of Stomach issues, I have a problem digesting Green Cabbage, so I had to swear off Cabbage Rolls, which I love. I tried it with Napa Cabbage & didn’t have any issues.
Yes, Napa Cabbage is great for sensitive stomachs. It’s great for cleaning an unhealthy gut too. Glad it works for you and enjoy!!
Hi, i saw your receipe, and intent to try it this week. Looks delicious, and since i have lots of napa cabbage in the garden, it should be perfect……..But……….a question on a comment you made that the Nappa cabbage is great for cleaning an unhealthy gut………..Wondering what you meant by that and if you had an references you could direct me to, on the health benefits of Nappa cabbage
Hi Katherine,
Here is the link that helps with the benefits of Napa Cabbage : https://awomanshealth.com/nutrition/napa-cabbage
It is an anti inflammatory which helps control gut issues. It is also used in similar ways as Kimchi or any fermented cabbage products such as Sauerkraut. They are referred to as probiotics which improve gut health. Always check with your health care professional when starting any new foods for gut health.
Looks appetizing.