Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage (Ww)

ellie_'s Note:

My ds loved this and even packed the leftovers in tupperware so his girlfriend could have some! Never asked about the "meat"! If following WW this is only 5 WW pts for 2 cabbage rolls. When I made this I miscalculated the time, so I put in the fridge and the next day added 1 can tomatoes w/green chilies and some leftover WW cheese and cooked for 30 minutes or so. Although delicious this is a time consuming recipe -- the original recipe says 2 1/ 2 hours but I took 3 hours to make this plus the another 1/2 hour to reheat the next day --- so be prepared! Recipe source: WW Healthy Cooking Basics

• Total Time: 3 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 cup pearl barley
• 3 cups water
• 1 head savory cabbage, leaves seperated (original recipe says to use 8 leaves ( but I used the whole head of cabbage)
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (original recipe says to use cremini mushrooms but I used ordinary white mushrooms)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons parsley
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 (10 ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies (optional)
• 1 cup low -fat shredded cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine barley and water in saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add cabbage leaves and return to a boil, cooking for 8-10 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold running water. Drain. Transfer to cutting board and cut off thick ribs from the base of the cabbage leaves -- on some of the leaves I skipped this step.
3. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Spray 9 x 13 pan with Pam.
4. In a skillet heat oil and add mushrooms and onion, cook stirring for 5-8 minutes or until softened. Stir in soy sauce and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Stir in barley and parsley. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
5. Put mixture in a food processor and pulse until chopped -- you will probably have to work in batches.
6. Place 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce in bottom of baking dish.
7. Place 1/3 cup of filling in each cabbage leaf and fold in sides of leaf over filling and roll up.
8. Place rolls seam side down in baking dish.
9. In a large measuring cup or bowl stir together remaining marinara sauce (1 1/2 cups), water and vinegar. Pour over cabbage rolls.
10. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
11. What I did because of didn't estimate the time right is I refrigerated the pan covered and the next day added 1 can of tomatoes and some leftover WW cheese (not sure of the amount) -- cooked at 350 for 30 minutes or so.

Reviews

[SucculentSister]

I've made this several times. The first time I had to substitute lentils for mushrooms and it was very good like that! I didn't use the food processor either. I found that steaming the cabbage a little or dipping it in hot water really helped to remove the leaves in one piece. I served mine with unsweetened yoghurt dollops on top of the cabbage rolls and just a hint of grated Parmesan cheese. This is an excellent stuffed cabbage recipe! My friends and family enjoyed it enormously. I'll be making this again and again.

[Dr. Jenny]

We liked this recipe and thought it to be pretty easy to make. We did use the food processor, though I could see how it would not necessarily be essential. Paul Newman's marinara sauce was tasty in this dish. I did use the optional Rotel tomatoes and actually felt like it detracted from this particular dish (though I am a fan of Rotel tomatoes in other things). I think I would have enjoyed it more with just the taste of the marinara shining through, which is how I will make next time. Shredded monterey jack cheese on top was very complimentary. All in all this made for a tasty dinner and we enjoyed leftovers for lunches. I served with Cookgirls Mushroom and Lavender Rice Pilaf (Vegan) as a side.

[Connie Lea]

This was really good. I added the tomatoes and green chilies and cheese. I used Ragout sauce instead of Marinara as that is what I had on hand. It smelled amazing while it was cooking and tasted even better. Thanks for a great recipe.