Cabbage rolls are a great low carb/low sugar dish. They are as savory as you want to make them – I mix in Italian sausage to cut down on the amount of seasonings I need to add to the ground beef. I usually use 1 package of each at a 1/1 or sometimes a 2/1 ratio of beef to sausage.

Filling:
1 medium head white cabbage
2 cups rice
1 pkg ground beef/turkey
1 pkg ground Italian sausage
1 egg
1½ Tbsp mayonaise
spices to taste

Sauce:
½ cup butter (1 stick)
½ large onion – chopped
3 large carrots – chopped
1 can tomato paste
1½ cups water

Wash & core cabbage. Place in a large pot & fill halfway with water. Boil for 25 minutes.

In another pot cook rice. (I use a rice cooker, and soak my rice for 30-60 minutes before cooking).

In a large skillet melt butter. Add carrots and onion. Cook until limp. Add tomato paste and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and letter simmer 15 minutes.

In a large bowl mix raw meat, rice, egg mayonaise and seasonings. Add a few tablespoons of the cooking sauce.

Pierce cabbage to check for doneness (when knife slides through easily). Strain and gently peel leaves off. Cut large outer leaves in two pieces.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Lightly cover bottom of 13” x 9” baking dish with sauce.

Roll meat mixture in cabbage leaves & place in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over cabbage rolls & place in oven.

Cook for 15 minutes, or until sauce begins to boil. Reduce heat to 325°F and continue to cook for 45-60 minutes.

Serve hot. May be frozen or refrigerated and reheated in microwave (about 2 min thawed).

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Notes:
Since these do take a bit of time to prepare & bake, I will usually double the recipe and put one pan in the freezer to bake later. If you won’t be baking it to eat today, freeze them before baking. On the morning you want to bake them, take them out of the freezer & allow to thaw in the fridge. Overnight is even better. If they are still somewhat frozen, they may take a bit longer to bake.