Cabbage Roll Enchiladas!?

This is not your grandma's classic cabbage roll recipe... it's BETTER because it spiced up with a little mexi twist!

Have you ever eaten cabbage rolls and thought, "This is pretty good but I feel like it's missing something"? Well great minds think alike because although I love kicking off the week with a cabbage roll meal prep, they've always been a bit... bland for my liking. So, I decided to try making them with an enchiladas inspired spin and EUREKA that's what was missing all along! Think of this recipe of the love child of stuffed peppers, enchiladas, and cabbage rolls; the perfect Sunday dinner for the family that also makes for great leftovers.

2.5 hour cook time and yields approx. 12 rolls

Ingredients

- 1 large head of savoy cabbage

- 4 cloves garlic crushed

- 1 onion (split in half)

- 2 cans crushed tomato (28 oz each)

- 2 tbsp chilli powder

- ¼ tsp dried oregano

- 1 small lime

- 1 tbsp brown sugar

- 2 tsp chilli flakes

- 1/2 tsp cumin

- 1.5 lbs of ground beef

- 1 packet taco seasoning

- 3/4 cooked rice

- 1 egg beaten with fork

- 1/3 cup bread crumbs - Salt & pepper

- Grated cheese for garnish

Step 1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the core out of the bottom of the cabbage by cutting a square around the core aiming the knife towards the center of the cabbage. Submerge cabbage in boiling water for 12-15 minutes until the leaves start willingly falling apart.

Step 2 While the cabbage is boiling, heat up a glug of oil in a dutch oven on medium / high heat (or in a large pot / deep frying pan). Sauté half of the onions for 5 minutes and then add crushed garlic for another 1 minute. Add the 2 cans of tomatoes, oregano fresh squeezed lime, chilli powder. brown sugar, chilli flakes, cumin and salt & pepper to taste. Stir and let simmer over low/ medium heat.

Step 3 By now your cabbage should be slightly softened and the outer leaves should be starting to peel away. Strain the cabbage and run the entire head under cold water. Once cooled enough to handle, start carefully peeing away the leaves piece by piece until you have 11-13 leaves (depending on size).

Pro Tip: Run the bottom of the cabbage under the cold water tap so that the water is running between the leaves to help them lift apart.

Step 4 In a large bowl mix the other half of the onions with the ground beef, taco seasoning, cooked rice, egg, and bread crumbs. Mix with your hands until well combined. Step 5 Preheat oven to 350°F. If you used a dutch oven earlier, scoop out half of the tomato sauce into a bowl. If you don't have a dutch oven, spoon out half of the tomato sauce from your pot/pan into the bottom of a deep casserole dish. Place a cabbage leaf onto a cutting board and fill with a small handful of the beef & rice mixture. Carefully roll up the cabbage leaf, folding in the ends to make a mini burrito! Place the cabbage rolls tightly together in the casserole dish or dutch oven, until all the beef mixture is gone. If you run out of space in the dish and need to stack the rolls, just make sure you put some tomato sauce between the levels. Pour all the remaining tomato sauce on top of the finished rolls. If you have leftover cabbage leaves, you can even cut them up and shove them into the sides of the dish to cook them and serve with the rolls! Step 6 Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 90 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve with grated cheese!