EatCheapEatWell
  • Home
  • SHOP
  • Life/Budget/Household Stuff
  • Food and Meal Blog
  • About
  • Home
  • SHOP
  • Life/Budget/Household Stuff
  • Food and Meal Blog
  • About

Stuffed Cabbage Made Easy

8/3/2015

 
Unstuffed Cabbage
​Cabbage is a powerhouse vegetable, full of all kinds of great nutrition. I love it in just about any kind of recipe, and I particularly love it cooked as it is in corned beef and cabbage, in stir fry, or in this recipe.

However, I am definitely not fond of the extra work of filling and rolling individual cabbage leaves that's called for in traditional stuffed cabbage recipes, so this variation is a great alternative. It's every bit as tasty, with substantially less work and time involved. You can have it on the table in a very short time without breaking a sweat.  
​
​
It’s a very simple one-pot meal that you can cook on the stovetop - my absolute favorite type of meal.  And although I’ve never done it, I’m betting that it would make a great choice for a slow cooker meal. It's also quite economical, even though it contains meat, one of the most expensive sources of protein there is. 
Unstuffed Cabbage
Of course, it's important to buy the meat only when it's on sale. Look for bargains in your local grocery store flyers, and stock up if you can, storing extra in the freezer for later use.

​I can typically get ground turkey on sale for $1.50-$2.00 per pound. It can easily be twice that amount if you buy it at the regular price. Those sale prices represent some substantial savings. 

It's easy to double or triple this recipe,  and it's terrific as leftovers. We typically get a few meals out of it, including some lunches to bring to work. Using the quantities listed below, you will get 6-8 hearty servings.

The recipe as described costs $9 or so - so about $1.15 per serving. It can cost even less if you use regular pasta instead of whole grain. As always, go with the option you can afford, but whole grain pasta is the better choice from a health point of view. At the very minimum, it offers more fiber, along with certain minerals, and often has higher protein content as well.

In usual, I suggest that you serve the dish with a nice tossed salad of greens and cut up vegetables, lightly dressed in your own vinaigrette. That provides you with a meal that offers at least 2-3 servings of vegetables -- a step in the right direction toward getting the recommended 5-9 daily. With the salad, the total cost of the meal comes to about $10, so about $1.25 per serving.

Prep time for this recipe is only about 15 minutes. Cook time is about 30 minutes. Total start to finish time is about 45 minutes. 

Here's the recipe:
Unstuffed Cabbage
​​Stuffed Cabbage Made Easy
Makes 8-10 servings
Recipe prep time – approximately 15 minutes
Start to finish meal prep time – Approximately 45 minutes
Total recipe cost – Approximately $9
Total per person meal cost with tossed green salad – approximately $1.50


Ingredients:
2 pounds ground turkey
2
½ cups whole grain elbows, rotini, or similar small pasta
3 tablespoons oil
2 medium-large onions
4  garlic cloves
1 small to medium head of cabbage (approximately 2 pounds)
1 28-32-ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 cans (6 ounce size) tomato paste
3 cups of water
1½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Recipe continues after photos
Procedure:
  1. Peel and dice the 2 onions. Set aside.
  2. Peel and chop or mince the 4 cloves of garlic and set aside.
  3. Wash the cabbage head. Use a large knife to cut large chunks or wedges off the head. If it’s a very large head, you will probably only want to use half of it. 
  4. Cut the cabbage wedges first into thin strips and then across the strips to make pieces ranging anywhere from ½-1-inch in size. You want around 4 cups, and more is perfectly fine, too. Set the cabbage aside.
  5. Heat the 3 tablespoons of  oil in a large pot at medium temperature and add the onions. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
  6. Add the chopped garlic and cook for about 1 minute more. 
  7. Add the 2 pounds of meat and discard the wrapping directly into the trash. Wash your hands before handling any utensils to avoid any cross contamination. 
  8. Break the meat up as much as possible and mix it well with the onions and garlic. Heat it for about 5-10 minutes, until most or all of the pink is gone. Stir frequently.
  9. Meanwhile open the two 6-ounce cans of tomato paste and mix it with the 3 cups of water in a bowl or measuring cup until it is well blended.  
  10. Add the diced tomatoes and the tomato paste/water mixture to the pot with the meat and stir to blend everything well. Add the 1½  teaspoon pepper and the ½ teaspoon salt.
  11. Add the diced cabbage and stir to distribute well.  
  12. Cover the pot, turn the burner to high and bring the contents to a boil.  Once the pot is boiling, reduce the temperature to medium or medium low to maintain a steady simmer. 
  13. Keep the pot covered and cook for about 20 minutes. Set a timer to help you keep track of the time.
  14. Add the 2½ cups of pasta and stir to distribute it well. Continue simmering for an additional 10 minutes or so, until the pasta is done to taste, and the cabbage is tender. Check it and stir it occasionally.  
  15. ​Taste test and adjust the salt and pepper.
  16. Serve the dish on plates with a nice tossed salad for a tasty, nutritious meal.  

Comments are closed.
    Follow Me
    Picture
    Picture
    Hi, I'm Nancy, and I'm on a mission to help people eat and live well on a tight budget. In these uncertain times, it has never been more important to practice frugality. 

     In this section of the blog, I offer some meal plans and recipes, some old, some new, to help get you started on eating well for less than you think and keeping money in your bank account.

    I hope you find some of these recipes useful.  

    And thanks for visiting!

    Archives buy

    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Categories

    All
    -10 Soups
    -12 Ways To Prepare Zucchini
    -3-Bean Spinach Tomato And Lime Pasta Salad
    -Baked Bean Casserole
    -Baked Ham With Roast Potatoes
    -Bean Recipes
    -Beet And Caramelized Onion Quiche
    -Black Bean Burgers
    -*Black Bean Soup
    -*Black-Eyed Peas And Spicy Greens
    -Broccoli And Cheese Spaghetti Squash
    -Broccoli-Mushroom Lasagna
    -Broccoli Tuna One-Pot Pasta
    -Buckwheat Cakes With Citrus-Maple Topping
    -Butternut Squash And Apple Bake
    -Caramelized Onions The Easy Way
    -Carrot And Raisin Salad
    -Carrot And Turnip Mash
    -Cheesy Spinach Pasta Bake
    -Chicken And Turkey Recipes
    -Chicken /Turkey Noodle Soup
    -Chicken With Spinach
    -Chickpea And Vegetable Curry
    -Chick Pea Noodle Soup
    -Chili Mac
    -Citrus Fruit Slaw
    -Coleslaw
    -Curry Cauliflower Bean Stew
    -Dirty Rice With Collard Greens
    *Dressings And Sauces
    -Egg Alternatives
    -Eggplant Parmigiana
    -Egg Recipes
    -Falafel
    -Fast-Food Tortillas
    -Garlic Bread
    -Garlic Hummus
    -Gazpacho-Style Tomato Soup
    -Ginger Cabbage And Noodle Soup
    -Gluten Free
    -*Greek Avgolemono (Lemon-Egg Soup)
    -Greek Bean And Tomato Stew
    -Greek Beet Potato Bowl
    -Greek-Style Chickpeas
    -How To Cook Dry Beans
    -Lasagna Dishes
    -Latkes
    -Layered Summer Vegetable Casserole
    -Lentil And Barley "Meatloaf"
    -Lentil And Vegetable Salad
    -Lentil Bolognese Spaghetti
    -Lentil Recipes
    -Lentils-Mediterranean Style
    -Lentil Soup
    -Lentils-Spicy And Sweet
    -Mediterranean Chicken (or Lamb) Stew
    -Mediterranean Garlic And Green Bean Stew
    -*Mediterranean Zucchini And Eggs With Sweet Potato Oven Fries*
    -Minestrone Soup
    -One Pot Meals
    -Paella
    -Pasta Bruschetta
    -Pasta Dishes And Salads
    -Pasta Fagioli
    -Pasta With Lemon Vegetables And Feta
    -Pasta With Olives And Zucchini
    -Pasta With Swiss Chard And Beans
    -Pasta With Tomato And Spinach And Feta
    -Popcorn For Pennies
    -Potato And Cabbage Soup
    -Potato Recipes
    -Pumpkin Vegetable Soup
    -Quiche With Spinach Or Broccoli
    -Ramen Noodle Slaw
    -*Ratatouille - French-Style Vegetable Casserole*
    -Red Beans And Rice
    -Rice Dishes
    -Roast Chicken Dinner
    -Salad Dressing
    -Salads
    -Salad The Easy Way
    -Salmon Burger Dinner
    -*Salsa
    -Shakshuka-Style Spicy Egg And Tomato Casserole
    -Side Dishes
    -Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions
    -Snacks (Cheap And Healthy)
    -Soup Joumou
    -Soups And Stews
    -Spaghetti (with Meat Sauce)
    -Spicy Black Bean And Corn Salsa Salad
    -Spicy Garlic Linguini
    -Spinach Lasagna (Easy Prep)
    -Split Pea Soup
    -Squash Prep
    -Stuffed Baked Potato
    -Stuffed Cabbage Made Easy
    -Stuffed Grape Leaves Made Easy
    -Summer Vegetable Recipes
    -Sweet Potato And Spinach And Feta Quiche
    -Sweet Potato Latkes
    -Sweet Potato Oven Fries
    -Tamale Pie Casserole
    -Tortellini Parmesan Salad Supreme
    -Tuna Casserole Supreme
    -*Turkey And Vegetable Rice Pilaf
    -Tzatziki
    -Vegan Seitan (Wheat Meat)
    -Vegetable Prep
    -Vegetable Soup Broth
    -White Bean And Parmesan Soup
    -Whole Wheat Bread
    -Zucchini Garlic Hummus
    -Zucchini Parmigiana

    RSS Feed

Home

SHOP                              Life/Budget/Household Stuff               

              Food and Meal Blog             About                      

Copyright © Nancy Maje Gillis 2015-2025