Tender cabbage leaves wrapped around a savoury filling, braised in tomato sauce.
Serves 4 | Preparation: 35 minutes | Cooking: 100 minutes | Total: 135 minutes
Times include any chilling, resting or cooling stated below. Oven temperatures are conventional; reduce by 20°C for a fan oven.
Ingredients
1 large cabbage (about 1.2 kg)
150 g brown or green lentils
250 g mushrooms, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
100 g freshly cooked rice, cooled quickly (about 35 g dry rice)
3 tbsp oil
2 tsp sweet paprika
700 g passata
1 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
Method
Simmer the lentils in water until just tender, about 25 minutes, then drain.
Fry the onion and garlic in the oil, add the mushrooms and cook until their liquid evaporates, about 15 minutes. Stir in the paprika, lentils, rice and half the salt.
Core the cabbage and blanch it in boiling water for about 10 minutes, peeling off leaves as they soften. Shave down any thick stems.
Place a spoonful of filling on each leaf, fold in the sides and roll up tightly.
Pack the rolls seam-down in a pot or dish with the passata, a splash of water and the remaining salt. Cover and braise gently for about an hour, or bake at 180°C.
Variations and substitutions
Tastes better the next day. Serve with soured cream or yoghurt.
Use cooked barley instead of rice if gluten is suitable. Add a pinch of caraway to the tomato sauce, or serve with plain yoghurt instead of soured cream.
Homegrown and seasonal produce
Choose a cabbage with broad flexible leaves. Use fresh mushrooms and dry lentils; save torn cabbage leaves to line the bottom of the pan.
Storage and freezing
Cool rice dishes as quickly as possible, ideally within 1 hour, then refrigerate at 5°C or below and eat within 24 hours. Freeze promptly in small portions for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge and reheat once until steaming hot throughout; eat immediately.
Explore our growing guides and From Garden to Kitchen guide. Plan your next harvest with Your Growing Companion.
Stock photograph illustrating the ingredients or a serving idea.
