Cabbage rolls seem to be one of those recipes that gets handed down generation to generation in families. Our family has a great Spanish version of cabbage rolls that is just delicious.
I’ll admit it though…cabbage rolls are fussy 😉
I love the ingredients, flavors, and idea of it…but most weeks I just don’t have the time to fuss with it.
Enter deconstructed cabbage rolls!
You could make this with the seasonings that your family loves to use for cabbage rolls, which is what I usually do. This time however, I decided to play around with making it curry flavored.
Not something you would typically think of maybe, but it was just delicious and something different!
You’ll need:
4 TB friendly fat to cook in (butter, coconut oil
½ medium onion, chopped
½ head cabbage, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large tomato, seeded and juices scooped out, chopped
2-3 cups cooked chicken from your weekly crockpotted or roasted chicken
2 cups cooked rice (I do large rice batches and freeze in bags – quick/easy dinner add in!)
1-2 tsp curry powder (Depending on how much kick you want! I used the West Indies rub from Mountain Rose Herbs – it is a great curry blend!)
Sea salt
Extra friendly fat, chicken stock, or water to add in when it needs moisture.
- Sauté the onion and cabbage in the friendly fat until onions and cabbage soften and caramelize a bit. Add a few pinches of sea salt while it’s cooking to bring out their juices and let them sweeten up. This will take a good 10 minutes.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook through on medium heat for about 5-10 minutes. If it’s getting dry add some more of your friendly fat or some chicken stock.
Kitchen Tips:
- Oh this comes together so fast! You’ll love it 😉 Start to finish for me takes 20-30 minutes including chopping, cooking, and clean up!
- This amount made enough for our family of 4 plus Grandpa who stopped by for a granddaughter fix 😉 The girls had a small “seconds” portion (I always start them out with small portions in case they aren’t going to eat much that meal – just never know with toddlers!), and I had one more adult portion left for the next day! Cabbage is SO cheap – this is a great way to stretch your pastured chicken and make a great cheap but delicious dinner!
- Quinoa would work vs the rice if that is what you’ve got or if you are grain free. Most cabbage roll recipes call for rice.
- Most cabbage roll recipes call for ground beef or sausage of some sort. I do it that way too – I just happened to have chicken this time! If you use the beef or sausage you’ll want to brown it up before you start. A quality chorizo sausage is a delicious addition 😉
- You could double up the recipe to use up the whole cabbage, or save the other half for this cabbage soup, or this coleslaw!
- My youngest ate this up without hesitation while my oldest thought it was a bit spicy. I added some sour cream to hers to “cool” it off and she loved it 🙂 Curry is strong so if you are using it just start out with a small amount and add more if you want it.
- If you are curious on the Spanish version, ask your pastured pig farmer for a chorizo style sausage 😉 It makes this super incredible! It’s my favorite way to make it!
YOUR TURN!
Do you have a family recipe for cabbage rolls? Let me know if you try a “deconstructed” cabbage roll and what seasonings you use! I love trying different flavors!
This post was shared at Real Food Forager’s Fat Tuesday, and The Polikva Family’s Family Table Tuesday!
