The Flexible Kitchen
This recipe comes from a time in my life when I was advised to avoid gluten. We realized quickly how many of our go-to meals contained gluten and my family was left scrambling to try and adjust. That’s when my mom found a recipe for a cabbage roll casserole and it quickly became a family favourite, making it a permanent side at all family gatherings. Since moving in together, Chris and I have made this recipe our own by using different seasonings as well as fresh tomatoes instead of canned soup, but the heart of the recipe remains the same.
It's All About You
The beauty of casseroles is how flexible and easy they are. In an hour or less, you can turn some pantry staples into something hearty and nutritious, making them a great option for a weeknight meal- this casserole is no exception. If you don’t have ground beef on hand, feel free to switch it out for chicken, pork, or your favourite vegetarian alternative. If you have extra vegetables like broccoli or mushrooms that need to be used, they can be added as an easy way to get a few more servings of veggies in. If you need to make this recipe gluten-free, just omit the Worcestershire sauce. This casserole also holds up well in the fridge or freezer. If you’re short on time, assemble the casserole, store it in the fridge overnight (or the freezer for longer periods of time), and bake it when you’re ready. Leftovers taste even better when reheated and can even be made into a delicious breakfast with the addition of a fried egg on top. In short: this recipe is flexible and adaptable to your needs.
Tomato Paste: Small but Mighty.
Tomato paste is made of very slowly dehydrated tomatoes: almost all the water is cooked out, and the tomato solids, glutamate, and natural pectin remains as a paste. The paste comes in tin cans and aluminum tubes; either is fine. We use tubes because it's easy, the tubes can be re-sealed, and because double and triple concentrated versions (which are more flavorful) tend to ship in tubes more than cans. As a heads up, raw tomato paste can take on a metallic flavor due to being acidic and stored in metal packaging: This is why it's important to fry the paste in fat and sofrito to cook out this flavor. As the paste fries, it will turn from deep red to rusty orange, and begin sticking to the pan. When it sticks to the pan, it browns somewhat and creates a "fond". These bits of browned "fond" will lift off the pan when you add water, stock, or wine: this is called "deglazing". These toasted bits of paste give an even deeper flavor to the dish - exactly what we want in a comfy weeknight casserole.
How to Make It
Preheat and Sear
Preheat the oven to 400°F
Add the ground beef to a large pot or skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat until the meat is cooked through. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
Let the meat sit for a while and brown on the bottom of the pan to build a bit of fond.
Add the olive oil and onion and cook over medium heat until the onions have softened (about 5 minutes).
You want to cook the onion until it is soft and transparent, and not browned. Browning gives onions a strong sweet flavor, whereas we are looking for more of a background flavor from the onions. The water released from the onions will deglaze the pan somewhat.
Add the chopped cabbage and cook until it has softened (about 5 minutes).
If the cabbage browns somewhat at this stage, that is ok - seared cabbage has a wonderfully savory flavor.
Build Flavors
Add garlic, tomato paste, and spices until the tomato paste has turned a deep rust colour (about 2 minutes).
If it seems or smells like some of the fond from the meat or paste is burning, add the tomatoes and stir: the liquid from the fresh tomatoes will help deglaze the pan before you add the liquid ingredients.
Add the diced tomatoes to the pot and cook until the tomatoes have cooked down (15 minutes).
Add the stock or water, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Take the pot off the heat, add the cooked rice and meat, and stir thoroughly.
Bake It
Transfer the contents to a 9x13 baking dish and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.
Remove the casserole from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Want to make this a one pot meal? Simply prepare the casserole in an oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven and don't transfer it into a baking dish.
Cabbage Roll Casserole
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cups green cabbage, choped
- 4 cloves gralic, minced
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups stock or water
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- Large pot or skillet
- 9x13 baking dish
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Add the ground beef to a large pot or skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat until the meat is cooked through. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
- Add the olive oil and onion and cook over medium heat until the onions have softened (about 5 minutes).
- Add the chopped cabbage and cook until it has softened (about 5 minutes).
- Add garlic, tomato paste, and spices until the tomato paste has turned a deep rust colour (about 2 minutes).
- Add the diced tomatoes to the pot and cook until the tomatoes have cooked down (15 minutes).
- Add the stock or water, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Take the pot off the heat, add the cooked rice and meat, and stir thoroughly.
- Transfer the contents to a 9x13 baking dish and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.