Looking for all the aromas of stuffed cabbage – without hours of rolling? This version solves the problem elegantly. Arrange layers of fresh cabbage leaves in a baking pan, sprinkle over a juicy filling of rice and ground meat with mint, paprika, and a pinch of cinnamon, refresh with lemon juice, and balance with pomegranate concentrate and silan (date syrup).
Pour over a homemade tomato sauce made of garlic, celery, and paprika – it’s what gives the dish its depth, color, and juiciness in the oven. The result is a savory and impressive “cake” sliced into triangles, with a light crust on top and soft layers inside.
This is a one-pan recipe: fewer dishes, a visually impressive effect, and a big flavor that feels like Grandma cooked it for hours. Perfect when you need a meaty main course for Shabbat or a holiday, and also for an evening when you want to impress without the hassle.
Recipe characteristics
● Preparation time – between one hour and an hour and a half
● Difficulty level – medium
● Quantity – 1
● Type of kashrut – meat
Ingredients:
For the rice:
• 2 cups rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp salt
For the filling:
• 2 finely chopped onions
• 300 g ground meat
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped mint leaves
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp hot paprika
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 tbsp pomegranate concentrate
• 1 tbsp sugar or silan (date syrup)
For the tomato sauce:
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tbsp hot paprika
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• A little turmeric
• 1½ cups water
For the cabbage:
• 1 cabbage (separated into leaves)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
Preparation:
Filling:
1. Cook the rice with the water and salt and drain (cook for 7 minutes, like cooking pasta).
2. Sauté the onions (for the filling) in olive oil until golden.
3. Add the meat to the onions and fry until it changes color.
4. In a bowl, mix the rice and the meat.
5. Add the rest of the filling ingredients to the rice and meat mixture.
Sauce:
1. Lightly fry the garlic in the olive oil.
2. Add the sweet paprika, hot paprika, sugar, tomato paste, celery, turmeric, salt, and pepper, and fry.
3. After a light fry, add the water and cook for about 10 minutes.
Assembly:
1. In a round baking pan (26 cm), pour 2 tbsp olive oil.
2. Arrange fresh cabbage leaves.
3. On top, place a layer of rice, then another layer of cabbage leaves.
4. Pour the sauce on top.
5. Transfer to the oven for 40 minutes at 180°C or until nicely golden on top.
Tair Mordoch, in collaboration with Sugat