The concept of ‘loaded cabbage steaks’ is an interesting twist on traditional cabbage dishes and are a tasty alternative to traditional tacos.
Sometimes it’s hard to get excited about cabbage but I think this recipe will change your mind a little bit. Roasting the cabbage provides a subtly sweet flavor. Cabbage is very affordable, mildly flavored and easy to prepare. This recipe involves roasting thick slices of green cabbage with olive oil, salt, and taco seasonings. You can top them with either ground meat or black beans, shredded cheese, diced avocado, sliced cherry tomatoes, and chopped cilantro. Lime crema adds a zesty finish.
It’s time to elevate cabbage from a humble vegetable side dish to the main attraction with these loaded cabbage steaks!
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Loaded Taco Cabbage Steaks
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Taco Seasoning
In a small dish, combine all ingredients & mix well.
Lime Crema
Whisk together the ingredients using milk to thin out the sauce to your desired consistency. Set aside.
Cabbage Steaks
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Keep your cabbage core INTACT, slice your cabbage in half first then into thick slices – ending up with 6-7 slices. Place them on your baking tray & brush both sides of each slice with olive oil. Season with 1/2 of the prepared 'taco seasoning' Roast for 30-35 minutes or until golden.
Ground Meat or Beans
In a large skillet, heat the oil & sauté onion for 2 minutes. Add in the ground meat, using a wooden spoon break everything up until no longer pink & cooked through. Season with remaining taco seasoning. Divide the meat between the roasted cabbage slices then top with the cheese & pop back into the oven until melted – about 5 minutes.
If you're using the beans, simply top the cooked cabbage steaks equally with some beans, covering the cabbage & then top with the shredded cheese. Pop back into the oven until the cheese has melted – 5 minutes.
Remove cabbage steaks from oven & top with tomatoes, avocado & arugula. Drizzle with lime crema & serve hot.
For many of us, stuffed cabbage rolls bring back memories of a true comfort food. Historically this iconic meal has roots in ancient Middle East and spread to Eastern Europe as trade routes developed and people migrated.
Many cultures claim to have invented stuffed cabbage …. Persian, Russian, Ukrainian and Polish. As with many dishes, there seem to be hundreds of recipes. This humble food probably originated as most comfort food has, from leftovers and the ubiquitous cabbage.
Fillings vary from beef, lamb or pork seasoned with garlic, onion and spices. Other additions to the fillings consist of rice, breadcrumbs, eggs, vegetables, legumes, etc. The sauces used vary widely by cuisine or personal taste.
Instead of making individual cabbage rolls today, I thought it would be something different to make it as a layered cabbage ‘cake’. For the filling I went with ground turkey. What is unique about this filling is that it uses a combination of wheatberries and bulgur, some fresh herbs, leeks, celery and apples.
Wheatberries add such a nice chewy and nutty flavor. We both really enjoyed this savory cake.
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Wheatberry & Turkey Stuffed Cabbage Cake
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Rating: 5
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Ingredients
Stuffing
- 1/2 cup uncooked wheat berries
- 1/2 cup uncooked bulgur
- 2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 250 gm ground turkey, extra lean
- 2 Tbsp sage leaves, chopped, DIVIDED
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped, DIVIDED
- 1 tsp sea salt, DIVIDED
- 1/4 tsp pepper, divided
- 1 cup (about 1 leek) leeks, sliced
- 3/4 cup celery, chopped
- 1 large apple, peeled, cored, cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
Ingredients
Stuffing
- 1/2 cup uncooked wheat berries
- 1/2 cup uncooked bulgur
- 2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 250 gm ground turkey, extra lean
- 2 Tbsp sage leaves, chopped, DIVIDED
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped, DIVIDED
- 1 tsp sea salt, DIVIDED
- 1/4 tsp pepper, divided
- 1 cup (about 1 leek) leeks, sliced
- 3/4 cup celery, chopped
- 1 large apple, peeled, cored, cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
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Votes: 2
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Stuffing
Place wheat berries in a saucepan & cover with about 3 inches of water. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, stirring once or twice. Cover, reduce heat to medium low & simmer until tender, about an hour. Drain & transfer to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, put bulgur in another saucepan & cover with about 3 inches of water. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium low & simmer until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain & transfer to same bowl as wheat berries.
Heat 1 tsp of oil in a skillet. Add turkey & cook, breaking up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in 1 Tbsp of sage, 2 tsp of thyme, 1/2 tsp salt & 1/8 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring, until turkey is coated with herb mixture, about 1 minute; transfer to bowl with wheat berries & bulgur.
Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in same skillet. Add leek & celery; sauté until vegetables are almost tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in apple & sauté until apple is light golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in broth; bring to a simmer until apples & vegetables are tender, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in remaining herbs & spices. Add to the bowl of wheat berries & bulgur mixture; combine. Set aside
Parmesan Sauce
In a saucepan, combine flour & broth until smooth; gradually stir in the milk, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook & stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add 1/2 of the grated cheese, stirring to combine. Add to wheatberry/bulgur filling mixture.
Cabbage
Core & separate leaves from the head of cabbage. Place in a steam basket over boiling water & cook until tender. Drain, pat dry.
Assemble & Bake
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Grease bottom & sides of a deep casserole dish & arrange the largest cabbage leaf on the bottom. Place another leaf on top of that & up the sides of the dish all around. Place about a 1/2 an inch of filling on top the cabbage leaves on the bottom of casserole. Place a layer of cabbage leaves on top & repeat until you run out of filling.
Finish with cabbage on top making sure to tuck it in the dish all around. Drizzle the top with oil & a sprinkling of salt & pepper. Bake for about 40-50 minutes. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
Place a serving dish over casserole; flip over to release cabbage cake. Top with zesty red pasta sauce & sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cut into slices & serve.
Stuffed cabbage is a humble food and probably originated , as most comfort food has, from leftovers. Common place in Russian, German, Irish, Hungarian and Slovakian cooking, cabbage is an ingredient that is filling and inexpensive.
Readily available, this cold season crop is the under-appreciated cousin of brussel sprouts. There’s nothing particularly mysterious, alluring or exotic about it. Cabbage’s distinctive odor might have something to do with its unpopularity. When cooked, it has a pungent and pervasive, slightly sour, sulfur-y smell.
All that aside, cabbage becomes buttery soft when cooked. This allows its wide and sturdy leaves to be used as wraps for soft fillings. Any type of ground meat can be used, seasoned with garlic, onions and spices. Additional ingredients may include rice, breadcrumbs, barley, eggs, dried fruit, nuts, veggies, dried or fresh mushrooms, etc. The ‘sauce’ for baking stuffed cabbage, varies widely by cuisine.
These cabbage rolls are the ‘full meal deal’, all rolled up in one …. corned beef, cabbage, mashed potatoes and cheese. Yum!
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Corned Beef & Potato Cabbage Rolls
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Rating: 5
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Ingredients
Sauce for Baking Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
Sauce for Baking Cabbage Rolls
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Rate this recipe!
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Instructions
Cabbage
Place about 1-inch of water in a large kettle. Using a sharp knife, Cut the thick stem out of the bottom of the cabbage head leaving all of the leaves intact. Place the cabbage head into the pot of water. Cover the pot & bring the water to a boil. Steam the cabbage for 15 minutes. Once the cabbage is steamed, remove it from the pot & place it on a plate to cool.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease an 8 X 8-inch baking dish.
Filling
In a large bowl, combine 'pulled' (cooked) corned beef, mashed potatoes, egg, mustard, parsley, salt & pepper. Mix well & set aside.
Gently remove 15 (there will be a few extra in case of any that tear) cooled outer leaves from the cabbage head. Set them aside. Chop a cup of the remaining cabbage & add it to the filling mixture. Mix well.
Lay a one cabbage leaf on a cutting board, with the stem facing towards you. Cut out the tough bottom section of the vein in the leaf, creating a V-notch. Place roughly 1/4 cup of the filling at the center of the leaf (around the tip of the notch). Roll the bottom (cut side) of the leaf up over the filling. Fold the two sides in. Continue rolling away from you to wrap the filling tightly in the remaining leaf.
Place roll in baking dish. Continue with the remaining filling & leaves, creating two rows of 5 rolls each in baking dish.
Sauce
In a small dish, whisk together beef broth & flour until no lumps remain. Pour over cabbage rolls. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil & bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven & sprinkle top of the rolls with Swiss cheese. Cover & allow to sit for 5 minutes. Nice to serve with some RYE BREAD STICKS.
Recipe Notes
- If you prefer not to cook your own corned beef, just purchase a thick piece of 'deli' corned beef, using forks you can easily 'pull' the meat apart that's needed in this recipe.
