Oven Baked Cabbage and Meatballs {Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls}
Oven Baked Cabbage and Meatballs is an easy, family friendly weeknight dinner that takes a delicious but time-consuming dish and turns it into delicious meatballs baked in flavorful tomato and cabbage sauce, no stuffing required!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 653kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb ground lean pork or beef or turkey
- 1 ½ cups cooked brown rice
- 1 yellow or white onion large, sliced into half or quarter circles
- 1 large garlic clove crushed or minced
- 28 oz can of diced tomatoes or 2 x 14oz cans
- 1 head small to medium green cabbage chopped
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- ½ cup broth beef, chicken or vegetable
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves chopped
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry marjoram
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg large
Instructions
- Heat the oven up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and get a 9x13 casserole dish ready.
- Sauté onion in oil in a deep skillet with a heavy bottom or a dutch oven for about 2 minutes, then add chopped cabbage and keep cooking until softened, about 5-7 more minutes.
- Add diced canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and broth, and cook together on medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Make the meatballs. In a large bowl mix together raw ground meat, cooked brown rice, the egg, marjoram, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper and mix with your fingers until combined. Don’t overmix!
- Using a medium cookie scoop, drop the meat and rice mixture balls onto a tray or a plate and roll into meatballs the size of a golf ball with wet fingers.
- Assemble the casserole. Pour half of the cabbage tomato sauce in a 9x13 casserole dish. Place the raw meatballs in the sauce in one layer, top with remaining sauce and cover with tin foil.
- Bake covered in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover, bake 10-15 more minutes and serve hot!
Notes
To make 1.5 cups of cooked brown rice you will need half a cup of dry brown rice.
You can swap brown rice for white rice if you'd like.
If you like Polish inspired recipes, make sure to also check out this creamy Dill Pickle Soup.
Nutrition
Calories: 653kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 1392mg | Potassium: 1556mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1155IU | Vitamin C: 115mg | Calcium: 208mg | Iron: 6mg