Cooking Weblog

A wonderful italian style tomato, rice and meat mix that can be used for both stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls. Both of these are great entrees or side dishes, take your pick. If you like stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls you’re gonna love these.

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients: Tomato Sauce

1 28oz. can whole tomatoes

1 28oz. can water

1 6oz. can tomato paste

1 teas. salt

3/4 teas. pepper

4 teas. sugar

1 teas. garlic powder

2 teas. onion powder

1 big tbsp. dry oregano

Method: Tomato Sauce

Add everything to a medium size sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low to medium low and simmer covered for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Your sauce is ready.

Ingredients: Rice

1 cup uncooked rice

2 cups beef broth

Method: Rice

Bring the beef broth to a boil and then add your rice. Bring back to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until done. Your rice is ready.

Ingredients: Tomato, Rice and Meat Mix

2 lbs. ground beef (15%)

1 onion (small to medium dice)

1 green pepper (small to medium dice)

4 cloves garlic (minced or crushed)

1 tbsp. salt

1 1/2 teas. pepper

2-3 tbsp olive oil

your tomato sauce and rice

Method: Tomato, Rice and Meat Mix

Add olive oil first and then the ground beef to a large deep skillet or stock pot (something big enough to hold the meat, rice and sauce) and start to brown on high heat.

After your meat is about half way browned, about 8-10 minutes, add the salt, pepper, garlic, onion and green pepper and continue cooking on high until the meat starts to sear.

Reduce heat to low and add all but 1 1/2 cups of your sauce to the meat.

You’ll need the sauce for the cabbage rolls later. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes.

After about 20 minutes, stir in your cooked rice and cook for another 5 minutes or so to incorporate all of the flavors.

Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Your mix is ready.

Ingredients: Stuffed Peppers

3 bell peppers (cut in half and seeded)

1 1/2-2 lbs tomato, rice and meat mix (5-6 cups)

3 slices white bread (for breadcrumbs)

4 oz. cheddar cheese (shredded)

Method: Stuffed Peppers

Run the bread through a food processor to make breadcrumbs, or, tightly wad the bread into a ball and grate using the shred side of a box grater.

Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese together to make your topping.

Arrange the hollowed out peppers in a baking dish and stuff as much of the meat mixture into the peppers as you can.

Use a spoon and really push the mixture down into the pepper to get rid of any air spaces.

Sprinkle your breadcrumb topping over the top and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 50-60 minutes.

Remove from oven and let rest about 10 minutes, serve.

Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients: Cabbage Rolls

1 1/2-2 lbs tomato, rice and meat mix

your leftover 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1 head green cabbage (leafed)

4 oz. monterey jack cheese (shredded)

4oz. cheddar cheese (shredded)

Method: Cabbage Rolls

Note: the cabbage is easier to work with dry so don’t wash it before you start.

Place the cabbage, core side up on a cutting board. Take a small knife and carefully cut the leaves away from the core. This will make it easier to remove whole leaves.

Gently pull the leaves off to keep them in tact. They will get smaller as you go and harder to keep whole but go slow and try to keep the leaves as big as possible.

Cut out the stem part of the bigger leaves. The stem part in the smaller leaves are fine, they’re more tender.

Place the cabbage leaves in a big bowl or colander and wash them off.

Steam the leaves (a few at a time) by placing them in a steamer insert over boiling water and steam, covered, for about 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the leaves. The outer leaves will take a little longer.

If you don’t have the insert you can place a metal colander or strainer over a pot of boiling water and cover, this does the same thing.

Transfer the steamed leaves to a plate, they’re ready for rolling. Add about 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce to the bottom of a baking dish and spread it out.

To roll, spoon the meat mixture across the center of 1 big leaf, or, 2 to 3 smaller ones, roll it up and place in your baking dish. Continue until your dish is full 8-10 rolls.

Pour the rest of the sauce over the top and sprinkle cheddar and jack cheese.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes, serve.

Both of these recipes have great flavor and there is enough of the tomato, rice and meat mixture for one tray of cabbage rolls and 3-4 whole pepers or 6-8 halves. These are great on a nice summer afternoon.

Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY COOKING!

David

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