Cabbage Casserole

This recipe has always been one of my favorites as a kid. It is really easy to fix and can be done on the stove, in a slow cooker, or in a rice cooker. It is warm, hearty, and great because it is a one pot supper that includes everything.

Cabbage Casserole
1 lb ground meat(pork, beef) uncooked
1/2 lb smoked sausage
1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
3-4 garlic cloves
2 cans chopped tomatoes
2 cups rice uncooked
1/2-1(depending on size of cabbage) head of cabbage shredded really fine.
1 cup water
Seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, basil, oregano or others of your choosing.

Take everything and put it into which ever pot you decide to use. Mix it all well and cook until rice is tender. Sometimes you need to check and make sure there is enough water and add a little if it looks too dry.

So that is the recipe that I usually follow. One other change that I did make was to cut back on the amount of meat used. If you feel like you want more in the recipe you are welcome to put more in The other day I wanted to test using the outer leaves of the cabbage...you know the ones you never see in the store that are left out in the field to waste. Okay, so here is the adjusted recipe that I tried.


Cabbage Casserole 2
1/2 lb ground meat(pork, beef) cooked
1/2 lb smoked sausage
1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
3-4 garlic cloves
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
3-4 cups rice (cooked left overs from gumbo)
3-4 large outer leaves of cabbage shredded really fine and chopped
add a little water if necessary since the rice is already cooked and will not soak up liquid like above.
Seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, basil, oregano or others of your choosing.

Just like the other recipe add everything together and stir until combined. This time most of it is cooked so basically it is just re-heating and wilting the cabbage. It should be the consistency of a Jamabalaya. Ham, chicken, or shrimp could possibly be substituted, or no meat at all. Mushrooms, or carrots would be a great addition also. We really enjoyed this dish this way also. Everyone had seconds and one of my boys even ate thirds. Which was pretty impressive to me considering cabbage was involved. The large dark green leaves are not as strong as regular cabbage. I used the cooked rice because it was in the house, the recipe is so much better if you make it using the uncooked rice so that it soaks in the liquids.