Get all the fabulous flavors of traditional stuffed cabbage but without all the rolling! This one-pan wonder is so delicious and super quick to make. I’ve made it skinny by using extra lean, ground beef, and brown Basmati rice instead of the usual white. Each serving has 199 calories and 3 grams of fat. All you’ll need to serve with this dish is a simple salad. Freeze any leftovers for future meals, if you even have any. My family ate it 2 days in a row. It’s that good!
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked brown rice, I like Basmati brown rice, see shopping tips
- 1 pound extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey, see shopping tips
- 1 cup chopped onions
- ¾ cup finely celery, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt or regular salt
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 egg whites
- 1 egg, well beaten, I like Eggland’s Best eggs
- 1 (16 oz.) package coleslaw blend or shredded cabbage (4 cups)
- 1½ cups tomato sauce or marinara sauce (12 oz.) I used Classico Tomato and Basil or Prego Traditional Pasta Sauce
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4½ tablespoons cider vinegar
Instructions
- Cook rice as directed on package (½ cup uncooked is about 2 cups cooked).
- In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, beef, onions, celery, seasoned salt, pepper, and eggs; mix well.
- Coat a 12-inch nonstick skillet or pan with cooking spray. Add 3 cups of coleslaw blend; spread evenly to cover bottom of skillet. Spoon beef mixture evenly over coleslaw blend; spread out and press lightly with fork or back of spoon. Top with remaining coleslaw blend.
- In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, brown sugar and vinegar; blend well. Spoon over beef mixture in skillet. Cover; cook over medium heat for 12 minutes. Uncover and reduce heat to medium-low; cook an additional 11 minutes or until beef mixture is thoroughly cooked.
- Remove skillet from heat. With cover partially on the skillet, carefully drain off liquid. Let sit for 10 minutes to set.
- Cut into 8 wedges.
Notes
Makes 8 servings (1 wedge per serving)
Food Facts
Traditional stuffed cabbage is a dish consisting of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings. It is common to the ethnic cuisines of the Balkans and parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East as well as Finland and Sweden.
Traditional among European Jews, stuffed cabbage entered Jewish cooking some 2,000 years ago.
Healthy Benefits
Cabbage is a nutrient-dense, low calorie, food that provides an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, B6, biotin, calcium and a respectable amount of fiber. In addition, studies have shown cabbage has anticancer benefits.
Using extra lean ground beef for this recipe is a terrific, healthy choice. The fat is cut down further due to draining the liquid after the dish is fully cooked. Cider vinegar adds zip to food with practically no sodium, fat, cholesterol, or calories. Brown rice is a good source of magnesium, which helps to maintain proper blood pressure. It also contains a fair amount of fiber, iron, niacin, thiamine, and vitamin B6.
Shopping Tips
I used Trader Joe’s (96/4) extra lean ground beef. It contains 130 calories and 4 grams of fat for 4 ounces. Happily most supermarkets sell some type of extra lean ground beef! Basmati brown rice can be found in most supermarkets either in the rice aisle or health food aisle. I bought it at Trader Joe’s.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 6-Blue
WW SmartPoints 7-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 5
Food Facts
Traditional stuffed cabbage is a dish consisting of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings. It is common to the ethnic cuisines of the Balkans and parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East as well as Finland and Sweden.
Traditional among European Jews, stuffed cabbage entered Jewish cooking some 2,000 years ago.
Healthy Benefits
Cabbage is a nutrient-dense, low calorie, food that provides an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, B6, biotin, calcium and a respectable amount of fiber. In addition, studies have shown cabbage has anticancer benefits.
Using extra lean ground beef for this recipe is a terrific, healthy choice. The fat is cut down further due to draining the liquid after the dish is fully cooked. Cider vinegar adds zip to food with practically no sodium, fat, cholesterol, or calories. Brown rice is a good source of magnesium, which helps to maintain proper blood pressure. It also contains a fair amount of fiber, iron, niacin, thiamine, and vitamin B6.
Shopping Tips
I used Trader Joe’s (96/4) extra lean ground beef. It contains 130 calories and 4 grams of fat for 4 ounces. Happily most supermarkets sell some type of extra lean ground beef! Basmati brown rice can be found in most supermarkets either in the rice aisle or health food aisle. I bought it at Trader Joe’s.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 6-Blue
WW SmartPoints 7-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 5
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 serving 199 calories, 3g fat, 1g sat. fat, 52mg chol, 15g protein, 32g carbs, 2g fiber, 265mg sodium, 17g sugar |
| FACTS: for Freestyle SmartPoints 165 calories, 1g sat. fat, 12g p;rotein, 12g sugar |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 1wedgeCalories: 199kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 15gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 265mgFiber: 2gSugar: 17gBlue Smart Points: 6Green Smart Points: 7Plus Points: 5
I made this recipe I used 2 whole eggs rather than egg whites. I used a whole head of cabbage instead of coleslaw mix and after cooking for like 10 minutes I mixed it all up. my husband is not a calorie conscience eater but he ate 2 bowls of this. it is definitely a make again.
Rose, thanks for sharing all your tricks with this recipe. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
All the best,
Nancy