This healthy stuffed cabbage is cozy, filling, and delicious. It has cabbage, ground chicken, sautéed onions, brown rice, and some spices. Topped of course with the perfect sauce!
Stuffed cabbage is like a warm hug!
When the holidays come around this is a great dish to make. It will easily turn into a family favorite and fit beautifully with any menu. The textures, flavors, and presentation of this healthy stuffed cabbage are a real labor of love. Hence it’s like you’re getting a warm hug!
There is something about stuffed cabbage that is simply cozy and homey. Maybe it’s any “stuffed” dish that has this effect. Or maybe it’s the sauce bubbling in the oven as it warms up the entire house. But probably the coziest part of all is the smell wafting through your kitchen as it cooks.
where does stuffed cabbage come from?
I always thought stuffed cabbage originated in Europe, but it turns out it actually comes from the Middle East. As the dish “traveled”, a lot of cultures and cuisines were incorporated into it. It’s got a little bit of Polish, Romanian, and Turkish influence. I figure that must be why it’s so delicious!
When do we eat stuffed cabbage?
Stuffed cabbage is a popular food around Sukkos time (a Jewish holiday celebrated in the fall). There are a few reasons that stuffed cabbage is symbolic of this holiday. One of the reasons is that it symbolizes the wrapped Torah scrolls that are celebrated on Simchas Torah (one of the days of Sukkos where the Torah is celebrated).
That being said, we love stuffed cabbage so much that we don’t limit it to once a year. And neither should you! You can enjoy it anytime. It is a little bit more of a special dish so you can have it once in a while for Shabbos or another holiday.
healthy comfort food:
Can comfort food be healthy? Yes. Stuffed cabbage in general is not an unhealthy dish; cabbage itself is one of the healthiest vegetables! But I did want to make an even healthier version for those who might be interested.
When holidays have a lot of meat on the menu you can make stuffed cabbage lighter by using ground chicken. I also used brown rice for extra fiber and left out the egg. Whichever way you choose to have your stuffed cabbage I’m sure it will be a hit!
Healthy suffed cabbage Ingredient List:
- Cabbage
- Brown Rice
- Onion
- Parsley
- Salt & Pepper
Variations and substitutes:
If the healthy version won’t fly in your household we get it! Here are some options for a “regular” stuffed cabbage:
- Use ground meat instead of ground chicken.
- Add one egg and a 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs to your meat mixture.
- Use white rice instead of brown rice.
- Use 3/4 cup brown sugar instead of 1/2 cup honey in your sauce.
Freeze healthy stuffed cabbage for later:
This is a great recipe to prepare in advance and freeze. However, leave the sauce out until you are baking it. The day you want to bake it, pour the sauce over the stuffed cabbage and bake it for an hour longer than you normally would.
If you have leftovers once it’s cooked you can freeze those as well. To reheat the leftovers, warm them up in a 250-degree oven for an hour and a half.
Different ways to prep the cabbage:
Some of the fear around making stuffed cabbage is how to handle the cabbage leaves. Although it may seem daunting at first it’s actually pretty simple. There are a few ways:
- Some stores sell cabbage leaves already made. You can absolutely buy them!
- You can remove the cabbage leaves and boil them in hot water.
- You can place the entire cabbage in hot water to allow it to soften.
- You don’t have to boil the cabbage leaves at all if you can carefully pull them off without them tearing. Just cut out the hard stem so that they fold over easily.
what to do with the extra cabbage:
Chances are you aren’t going to use an entire cabbage to make stuffed cabbage. And if you’re anything like me you don’t like throwing away food! Over the years I’ve done lots of different things with the extra cabbage that were delicious. Some of the choices are:
- If you didn’t boil the entire cabbage you can turn the rest into coleslaw.
- If you did boil the entire cabbage you can sauté the rest with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. As the cabbage caramelizes it develops a really delicious flavor and beautiful brown color.
- You can also add the cabbage to a soup or stew.
What to serve it with:
Stuffed cabbage is actually a meal on its own. It’s got proteins, carbs, and vegetables. However, you might want to serve more than one dish at your holiday meal. Here are some great options that pair well with healthy stuffed cabbage:
- Grilled mini zucchinis
- Soft & fluffy challah rolls
- Your favorite salads
- Your favorite roasted vegetables
Healthy Stuffed Cabbage
Ingredients
For the cabbage:
- 1 head of green cabbage
- 1 pound dark ground chicken
- 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon parsley, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the sauce:
- 32 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the cabbage:
- Place the cabbage in a big pot and cover it with water.
- Bring the water to a boil and let it cook until the cabbage leaves soften; around 10 minutes.
- Drain the water from the pot and allow the cabbage to come to room temperature.
For the chicken mixture:
- Cook the brown rice according to package instructions and set aside.
- Add a little bit of olive oil to a pan and add the onions, salt, and black pepper.
- Cook on a medium flame until the onions are translucent; around 7 minutes.
- Add the ground chicken, cooked rice, sautéed onions, and parsley to a bowl and mix well.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To assemble:
- Once the cabbage has softened, gently peel off the cabbage leaves.
- Cut out the middle hard stem from each cabbage leaf and fill it with a few tablespoons of the chicken mixture.
- Wrap the chicken mixture with both sides of the cabbage leaf and then roll it up.
- Repeat with the rest of the cabbage leaves and place in a baking dish.
- Pour the sauce over the cabbage, cover tightly with foil, and bake for around two hours.
- If you want to soften the cabbage even more, lower the heat to 250 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
