Swedish Stuffed Cabbages

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It’s finally snowing here in Colorado. And all the soups, stews, and anything stuffed are calling my name! I’ve made three different soups and a beef stew this week. Now comes the Swedish stuffed cabbages! This recipe is an all-time favorite of my dad. So, of course, I’m bringing dinner over my parents house tonight! But not before I share this Finnegan family recipe with all of you! It’s cheap and easy to make. Feel free to use all ground beef instead of beef and pork. More often than not, I do the same. Both pork and beef were on sale this week so I followed the original recipe this time 🙂

I ended up having to write most of this recipe because my mother’s saved recipe was just 3/4 of the ingredients and none of the instructions! And every recipe I came across had rice in the meat mixture. I don’t remember my mom doing that when I was growing up. In stuffed peppers, yes, she put rice in the meat mixture, but not stuffed cabbages. So, I called her and confirmed. Nope, she never put rice in. Instead, she put breadcrumbs, like a meatloaf. So that’s how I wrote this recipe. You can do either. Whichever one you prefer is fine. 

I made these Paleo and Whole30 approved, since I’ve still got 3 more days of the January Whole30. For ketchup, I used tomato paste. You could use Primal Kitchens sugar free ketchup if you had any on hand. I don’t and I honestly don’t find sugar free ketchup to be much different than tomato paste but that’s my opinion. I also used almond meal instead of breadcrumbs to stay Whole30 compliant. Gluten free breadcrumbs would work too if you’ve got those on hand. 

Swedish Stuffed Cabbages

1 large head of cabbage, boiled and cooled

1 large onion, finely chopped

8 ounces ground beef

8 ounces ground pork

1 large egg, beaten

½ cup cooked long grain rice (for Paleo and Whole30, use almond flour)

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

1 T coconut sugar (cut for Whole30)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/3 cup beef broth or water

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 tsp granulated garlic, divided

Salt and pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove 12-15 leaves from cabbage, being careful not to break them. Boil in water 3-4 minutes until softened. Drain and cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix meats, egg, rice or almond flour, ketchup, 1 tsp garlic, and parsley together.
4. Place ¼ cup of meat mixture in center of cabbage leaves and roll like a burrito until meat is fully covered by cabbage.
5. Place cabbage rolls in a 9×13 pan, seam side down. You can stack them if necessary.
6. Combine crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar,1 tsp garlic,  beef stock/water, and lemon juice together in mixing bowl. Pour over cabbage rolls and bake in oven for 45-60 minutes or until bubbly and meat is cooked through. Serve hot.

• These can also be slow cooked in a crockpot. Follow same instructions, just cook over high heat for 2 hours or low for 3-4 hours.