STUFFED CABBAGE WITH SAUERKRAUT BEANS GREENS
A simple dish using few ingredients that tastes like it took hours to cook. Eat plain or serve with a salad or fresh cooked carrots! Applesauce also works! These frozen turnip greens were good – saves a lot of prep time too! Sauerkraut doesn’t always have to be eaten raw as you will taste!
Also stuff cooked cabbage leaves, top with sauce and bake till tender and bubbly! Today we’re making stuffed cabbage.
Made 8 cups main dish beans & greens or 12 or more stuffed cabbage
F-FC ClipBoard: If you can’t locate BUSH’S GRILLIN’ BEANS use any 22 oz. can vegetarian baked beans. Adjust seasonings to reflect the addition of brown sugar plus a little vinegar.
Make filling first. I make it a few days in advance to make the stuffed cabbage in segments, rather than all at once.
FILLING:
3 T. margarine
2 lbs. sauerkraut – I used SNOW FLOSS brand – place in colander, rinse under cold water to remove most of the acidic brine, but not all, squeeze tightly into balls to remove excess liquid, but not all (we don’t need extra-dry here – squeeze till it clumps)
2 T. jarred minced garlic
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
14 oz. pkg. froz. chopped turnip greens, thawed – drain then squeeze as you did the sauerkraut – I used PICTSWEET FARMS brand
22 oz. can Bush’s GRILLIN’ BEANS BOURBON AND BROWN SUGAR
15.5 oz. can black beans
1/2 c. Poupon Dijon mustard
2 t. liquid smoke
salt
fresh grind black pepper to taste
In extra-large skillet, over medium heat, melt margarine.
Add squeezed sauerkraut, stir and lift to coat with margarine. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring up and over from bottom to cook the sauerkraut evenly. You’ll notice steam coming from the evaporation of the liquid left in the sauerkraut.
Add jarred garlic, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir well into sauerkraut, reduce heat to low and keep cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring as needed.
Add turnip greens, stir to distribute evenly throughout sauerkraut. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Add both canned beans, stir well. Heat them through.
Add mustard and liquid smoke. Stir to distribute evenly. Cook till beans are very hot and the mustard mellows a bit.
Salt and pepper to taste, then remove from heat.
Serve immediately or cool to room temperature and pack in covered containers and refrigerate for service later.
Optional: When serving separate from the stuffed cabbage, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over each portion for added richness – only a teaspoon or two is needed.
Sauce: Makes 1-1/2 cups
1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 c. Poupon Dijon mustard (or plain mustard)
2 T. prepared yellow mustard
1/2 c. tomato juice
2 t. liquid smoke
1 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. ground allspice
fresh grind black pepper
salt to taste
Sauce: Combine sauce ingredients in bowl and stir well to incorporate all ingredients.
Cook Cabbage. I made 12 rolls, because I wanted to save some to eat plain.
4 lb. green cabbage, remove outer soiled leaves, then invert and remove about 1 inch down into the core.
Place cabbage in large pot of water. Bring to boil, cover and cook, turning cabbage over fairly often till the outer leaves loosen enough to remove. These will probably be torn, but don’t discard; you can chop them and add to mashed potato or a skillet saute or a soup at a later date.
When some leaves loosen, turn cabbage over and insert a long fork into core hole and lift out onto board. Remove loose leaves to plate. With long fork deep into core of cabbage, cut down and around fork to make the opening about 3 times the size of the original opening.
Replace cabbage very carefully back in water, core side down, cover and continue to cook till more leaves loosen. Remove from water and perform the same procedure. Repeat till the leaves are too small and too thick to roll. Remove from water, turn pot off. Store the remaining head of cabbage in covered container in refrigerator to use for another recipe.
Stuff And Roll Cabbage: Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Spoon about 1/2 c. sauce evenly on bottom of 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
Place cabbage leaf on board/counter. Cut out the bottom middle thick core piece in triangle form – don’t cut up too high.
Place 1/3 cup sauerkraut beans greens mix onto middle of leaf. Starting from the core end of the leaf (which should be closest to you), bring it up and over the mix, drawing it towards you, compacting it in the leaf, while tucking the leaf under the mix as you draw it firmly towards you.
Begin to roll it forward, then bring up both sides of the leaf, not over the top, but in front of the cabbage bump like you’re wrapping a package, then continue to roll forward till it’s done.
Place in baking dish. Do the same till the baking dish is full. You’ll have some mix leftover. Save for another use.
Spoon remaining sauce over cabbage rolls. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 30–40 minutes or till bubbly.
Remove from oven serve.
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