Chorizo Stuffed Cabbage Roll Recipe

Our Chorizo Stuffed Cabbage Roll Recipe combines spicy chorizo sausage, beef, salsa, jasmine rice and marinated tomatoes for a flavorful one pot meal. Rolled in par boiled green cabbage leaves and cooked to perfection, this dinner is sure to be a family favorite.

Cabbage rolls are a fantastic way to cut down the carb macros for your meal, while bringing added flavor and texture that is satisfying and sustaining.

In this post we walk you through how to assemble and cook the very best stuffed cabbage rolls. They take a little practice, but once you get the feel of it they are so simple to fill and roll, and cabbage rolls present a very versatile medium for changing up your choice of fillings and sauces to create your meal. For this recipe we are showing your one of our favorite filling combinations.

What is the best way to roll cabbage rolls?

Staring at bar boiled cabbage leaves, knowing you need to fill and roll them so they hold their shape and keep the filling in place can be a little intimidating. It does take a little practice, but once you get a feel for the texture of the cabbage leaves, rolling and assembling them is a snap.

The best method for rolling cabbage leaves is the same way you would roll a burrito. Place the filling directly in the middle of your par boiled cabbage leaf, fold half of your leaf over the filling and pull the filling toward yourself until it is snug inside the tuck. Fold the ends in toward the middle and finish rolling the cabbage leaf until the untucked side is rolled up. Lay your rolled cabbage leaf into your baking dish or skillet and move onto the next one.

What is the best type of cabbage to use for my cabbage rolls?

There are many different varieties of cabbage to choose from. Let’s take a look at the most common cabbages.

Green cabbage is the most popular and well known cabbage. It is readily available year round and very inexpensive making it your best choice of cabbage to use for cabbage rolls. The leaves of green cabbage tend to be thicker making them stronger and less likely to fall apart, but you will need to par boil them before filling and rolling as they are less flexible and tend to break when raw.

Napa cabbage and Savoy Cabbage are also good options as they will give you pretty cabbage rolls and are fairly easy to work with. They are however a bit pricier and can be difficult to find year round.

Red cabbage would not be a good option for cabbage rolls. The leaves are not very flexible and when you cook red cabbage the natural red and purple hues will bleed out giving your meal an unappetizing discoloration.

Related Recipes:

If you are looking for another spectacular cabbage roll recipe try out the German style cabbage rolls below. We also have a recipe for our garden fresh, homemade salsa; as well as a post on how to make your own sun-dried tomatoes.

What are cabbage rolls made of?

Cabbage rolls are a favorite dish in many cultures and the methods, fillings and spices used in cabbage rolls vary depending on the cultural traditions. The beauty of cabbage rolls is in the versatile nature of this meal. Fillings most often include meats such as beef, pork or lamb with spices and seasonings; additional ingredients that are added to the filling range from grains like barley and rice to veggies.

The methods for cooking cabbage rolls include baking, simmering or steaming. We love cabbage rolls as a skillet dinner or one pot meal that we finish in the oven. The flavor development that is reached in this dish is delicious.

What do you eat cabbage rolls with?

Cabbage rolls are a hearty meal and can definitely stand alone as a satisfying lunch or dinner, but if you are looking for ideas of side dishes to accompany them we have a round up of suggestions.

• Roasted garlic potatoes
• Fresh baked bread
• Leafy green salads
• A chilled bean salad
• Honey roasted carrots
• A side of sauerkraut
• Quinoa salad
• Hearty potato salad

What does it mean to core a cabbage?

Heads of cabbage contain a core that can be eaten, but most often is not. Coring the cabbage will allow it to cook faster and help the leaves loosen and release. To remove the core place the head of cabbage on a cutting board in front of you upside down, or stem side up. Drive a fork into the stem, this will help you hold the cabbage and avoid cutting yourself while you remove the core.

Using a sharp knife, cut around the core in a circular motion until it releases. Once you’re finished set the knife and fork aside and using your fingers press the core out the bottom of the cabbage head.

Recipe Notes on Chorizo Stuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole:

This cabbage and sausage dinner is an easy meal that is worth the preparation and bake time.

• Par boiling and cooling the cabbage is done while the filling is cooking. The rest of the steps are simple to do and don’t take much time.
• Assembling this dinner is done in 30 minutes
• Bake it for an hour
• This recipe requires one oven proof 12 inch skillet or 13 x 9 oven-proof casserole dish and a good sized pot to par boil the cabbage.

Ingredients:

This recipe is perfect for your garden harvest green cabbage. Don’t grow a garden? Maybe you like local produce by a CSA, local farmer’s market or Food Co-op. Just make sure it’s a lovely organic cabbage.

• Use Green cabbage for an inexpensive and easy to find cabbage choice. Be sure it is a large head as the leaves get smaller towards the core.
• Mexican chorizo is one of our very favorite medium heat sausages. It is easy to find and brings much of the flavor to this dish.
• Select your favorite salsa or make your own. Keep in mind when choosing a heat level, the chorizo will add a bit of spice as well.

The Instructions:

Cook the Cabbage first:

• Carefully place your cored head of cabbage into a pot of boiling water.
• Cook for three minutes or until the leaves start to relax away from the cabbage head. Drain and set the cabbage head aside, allowing it to cool while you make your filling.

Start The meat mixture:

• While your cooked cabbage is cooling, brown the hamburger and chorizo in a large skillet over medium heat.
• When the meat is about halfway cooked; add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent.
• Add rice, salsa and 1 cup of stock to the mixture, cover for 10 minutes allowing it to cook down.

While the meat mixture is cooking:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the cooked cabbage leaves carefully from the cabbage head. You’ll need six large leaves.
• Slice the large leaf stem vein from each cabbage leaf. You’ll make a V in the leaf bottom. Be careful not to cut the leaf in half.
• Lay the cabbage leaves out on a cutting board to fill and roll.

Stuff and Bake:

• Spoon 2 to 3 Tablespoons of filling into the middle of your leaf.
• Roll the leaf the same way you would roll a burrito to lock the filling in. Repeat until six cabbage leaves are filled and rolled. You will have extra filling.

• Place the cabbage rolls into the skillet with the extra filling. Move the filling around to accommodate all six cabbage rolls.
• Pour the remaining stock over the skillet filling and cabbage rolls.
• Place the skillet or oven proof baking dish into the oven covered with foil.
• You can place a baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any drips, this won’t affect the cooking time.
• Bake the cabbage rolls for 1 hour.

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