A real find for housewives is lazy cabbage rolls. The way they are cooked is simple and straightforward. Even a young and not quite experienced keeper of the hearth can cope with it. Let's get acquainted with some simple and original recipes for making lazy cabbage rolls with cabbage and minced meat.
Who invented cabbage rolls?
Stuffed cabbage is a simple and uncomplicated thing. I rolled the minced meat into a meat grinder, boiled the cabbage, cooked the filling, rolled it into sheets, added sour cream, and voila - the hearty and tasty dish is ready. The way to cook lazy cabbage rolls is even more straightforward and simple. But more on that later. In the meantime, we find out how this dish appeared and who was the first to think of wrapping meat stuffing in cabbage leaves.
Once the word "stuffed cabbage" had nothing to do with cooking. They often called the construction of a log type with a gable roof or a wooden cross with a gable roof. There is evidence that some Russian dance was called stuffed cabbage. However, we were distracted. Let us return to the lazy cabbage rolls, the preparation of which there are a great many.
How did cabbage rolls appear?
The definition of this culinary masterpiece appeared around the 18-19th century. At this time, the culinary specialists of Russia began to adopt French recipes in their own way. So, at that time, a dish of pigeons that were entirely fried on a grill was popular. The dish had a simple and ingenuous name - "pigeons". The court culinary specialists liked it, but in order not to destroy for nothing the innocent birds, they created false "pigeons", wrapping meat stuffing in a cabbage leaf.
It would seem that this can be the end of the story about how cabbage rolls appeared. But no! Not so simple! We completely forgot about dumplings - meat with millet groats wrapped in the same cabbage. Peter I himself ate this dish with great pleasure. The famous philologist and expert on the Great and Mighty Language - Vladimir Dal - puts an equal sign between dumplings and cabbage rolls in his dictionary.
Everything becomes even more complicated if we recall the Turkish sarma, which, in turn, has much in common with dolma - grape leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice.
Summing up, connoisseurs of culinary art came to the general conclusion that Turkey is the most likely birthplace of cabbage rolls. The only difference is that, having left the Islamic country, this dish has undergone a number of minor changes in accordance with the characteristics of a particular national cuisine. Somewhere, grape leaves were replaced by cabbage, pork with lamb, rice with millet, a little more vegetables were added, and it started.
Not so lazy this dish!
The name of the dish speaks for itself. In contrast to the classical method of preparation, lazy cabbage rolls are a little easier to make, but only because you do not need to carefully wrap minced meat in a cabbage leaf. Is that why only? Let's figure out the intricacies of this dish together.
There are a great many ways of preparing stuffed cabbage lazy. They are cooked in different ways: someone stews in a pot or a cauldron, someone bakes in the oven, someone does something in a pan that looks like a casserole. In general, every housewife knows the special secret of creating a delicious and satisfying dish, which will certainly become a favorite in her family.
What is a classic recipe? How to cook the most ordinary lazy cabbage rolls?
Oven cooking method
The following ingredients need to be prepared:
- 0.5 kg of cabbage;
- the same amount of minced meat;
- 1 carrot and 1 onion;
- a glass of rice;
- egg;
- 250 grams of sour cream;
- 3 tablespoons of tomato paste (can be replaced with sauce);
- a small handful of flour;
- spice.
Boil the minced meat until half cooked. Pass it through a meat grinder with all the vegetables. Add spices. Form small balls or patties, put on a greased baking sheet.
Prepare the sauce: mix sour cream and warm water in a 1: 1 ratio, add tomato paste and salt. Pour cutlets with this sauce and send to the oven until completely baked.
Lazy cabbage rolls: a method of cooking in the oven
When there is very little time left to cook, this recipe will come in handy. After all, the oven is an indispensable assistant in the kitchen. At the time when the hostess can cut the salad or set the table, the oven will prepare a delicious dish. So, let's take a closer look at the step-by-step recipe for lazy cabbage rolls, which is designed for six servings:
- Cabbage - 500 grams.
- Minced meat - the same amount.
- Round grain rice - 100 grams.
- Egg.
- Salt pepper.
- Tomato paste - 3 tbsp. spoons.
- Special seasoning for stuffed cabbage - to taste.
- Onion.
And now we pass directly to the detailed instructions.
Step by step recipe
The cabbage needs to be washed and chopped, as on borsch. Then boil until half cooked. You can immediately add a little salt. Throw it in a colander, but do not pour the vegetable broth.
Rinse thoroughly, pour water in a ratio of 1: 2, add salt and boil in the same way as cabbage.
Stuff the mince through a meat grinder, season with salt and pepper, add finely chopped onions and beat in a chicken egg.
First you need to mix the resulting stuffing well, and then add the cabbage. Form small patties from the resulting mass and put into a baking dish.
In cabbage broth, dilute sour cream and tomato paste, add black pepper and pour the sauce on lazy cabbage rolls. The form can be sent to the oven. The dish will be ready in literally 40 minutes.
Tricks to help you make a really tasty dish
In order for lazy cabbage rolls in a pan, the recipe for which is simple and straightforward, to turn out juicy, fragrant and incredibly tasty, you need to know the features that allow you to create a real culinary masterpiece. And here are some of them:
- Lazy cabbage rolls in tomato and sour cream sauce are cooked in much the same way as a classic dish. The only difference is the finely chopped cabbage, which appears in the recipe.
- In addition, lazy cabbage rolls are shaped into a patty before serving.
- Lazy cabbage rolls can immediately be sent to the oven or slow cooker for baking. And you can first fry in a pan in a small amount of vegetable oil.
- Stuffed cabbage sauce can be the most varied. Sour cream, tomato and sour cream, creamy, cheese or garlic - everyone has the right to independently decide what to eat lazy cabbage rolls with. In the oven, in the tomato sauce, by the way, they turn out to be unusually tasty.
- Many housewives often use the recipe for the so-called "super-lazy" cabbage rolls. In this case, cutlets are not formed from minced meat - it is simply stewed in a saucepan or slow cooker.
How to cook lazy cabbage rolls with cabbage? Let's look at the main secrets that will make the dish the way it should be.
So small, but such important tricks.
In order to cook delicious cabbage rolls, it is necessary to use more fatty meat - in this case cutlets will be better in keeping their shape. In addition, the combination of minced pork and cabbage has been tested for years - this is a win-win option for many dishes. No less successful combination is pork and beef.
Rice for lazy cabbage rolls with cabbage and minced meat will suit anyone. It is advisable to prepare it in advance, that is, thoroughly rinse, pour warm water for a while and boil until half cooked.
To make the dish tasty, you must observe the proportions: 1 part rice to 3 parts minced meat. If there is more cereals than expected, cabbage rolls will fall apart. If less than the norm - it turns out not so juicy.
Cabbage for lazy cabbage rolls can be cut into strips or small slices. It can also be given a puree consistency - grind with a blender. This is necessary in order to hide the presence of vegetables in the dish (for young children this is especially true). It is only important to remember that the degree of chopped cabbage directly affects the final taste of the dish. The smaller the pieces, the juicier and tastier the lazy cabbage rolls will be.
The cooking method in the pan is somewhat different from the recipe in a slow cooker. It's time to consider all the possible cooking options.
Cooking stuffed cabbage in the oven
The oven is the most important assistant to the hostess in the kitchen. When there is absolutely no time, the oven will become a lifesaver, which will prepare the dish on its own. So, let's consider the simplest recipe, the implementation of which will take no more than 60 minutes. Essential Products (6 servings):
- Half a head of cabbage (preferably white cabbage).
- Minced meat (preferably pork or pork and beef) - 0.5 kilograms.
- One chicken egg.
- 100 grams of rice.
- 200 grams of sour cream of medium fat content.
- Three tablespoons of tomato paste.
- Spices and spices (cabbage rolls are a traditional dish, therefore, it should be seasoned with the classical method - salt and black pepper will be enough).
- Onions - half the head should be enough.
Finely chop the cabbage and boil until half cooked, and then drop it into a colander. Boil the rice to the same state. Pass minced meat, onions, cabbage and rice through a meat grinder. Add the egg and spices. Form small patties, put on a baking sheet and send to the oven.
Cook in a pan
In this case, you will get a hearty and tasty dish that will quickly gather all the household members at the table. You will need the following ingredients:
- One small head of cabbage.
- 200 grams of rice.
- Half a kilogram of pork or ground beef.
- Onions and carrots for frying.
- One chicken egg.
- Tomato sauce or juice (1 cup).
- Sour cream of medium fat content - 200 grams.
- Fresh parsley.
- Vegetable oil for frying.
- Spice.
And now you can do the direct cooking of the dish. It is worth noting - the recipe for lazy cabbage rolls for a slow cooker is much simpler than in a pan or pan. First you need to prepare all the products, and only then carefully study the method of preparing lazy cabbage rolls in a pan.
Step by step recipe
First of all, it is necessary to prepare rice - rinse several times, pour warm boiled water for an hour, and then boil until al dente. Finely chopped white cabbage (like a borsch) and lightly fry in a pan until a rosy color is formed. Once the cabbage is soft, you can remove the pan from the stove. Peel onions and carrots, cut into strips, and also fry.
Pass the meat through a meat grinder, mix with rice and vegetables. Drive one egg into the minced meat, pepper, salt and mix thoroughly. From the resulting mass, form small neat cutlets and fry them in a pan on both sides.
Now you can make a sauce for lazy cabbage rolls. To do this, mix sour cream and tomato sauce, add a pinch of black pepper. Pour cabbage rolls over them and bring the dish to a boil, then reduce the heat and put out another 40 minutes.
We make lazy cabbage rolls "In St. Petersburg"
This is the same dish that is served in children's and sports camps. Not only children, but also adults will be delighted. The way to cook lazy cabbage rolls in a pan, by the way, is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance.
So let's get started. First you need to dip a small head of cabbage into boiling water (literally for 2-3 minutes), then cool it and chop finely. Take 500 grams of beef tenderloin or minced meat, stew in a pan with grated carrots, fresh tomatoes and onions.
Put butter and 1/2 part of chopped cabbage on the bottom of the pan. Then a layer of minced meat and vegetables, after 4 tablespoons of raw but thoroughly washed rice and at the very end - the rest of the cabbage. Add a few peppercorns and salt. Put the pan on the fire and simmer until fully cooked. At the very end, you can add finely chopped bell pepper.
Cooking Recipe
A great solution for those who do not like to spend a lot of time at the stove. You can cook a meal in a hurry - just set the required mode and you can do household chores. The recipe for lazy cabbage rolls in a slow cooker is unusually simple - any, even the most inexperienced housewife will cope with it. First you need to prepare the products:
- Minced pork and beef (250 grams each).
- White cabbage - 1 kilogram.
- Onions and carrots.
- 150 grams of rice.
- 2-3 small tomatoes.
- A few cloves of garlic.
- Vegetable oil for frying.
- A glass of milk and 3 cups of drinking water.
- A bunch of fresh herbs.
- Pepper and salt.
The ingredients are ready. It remains only to get acquainted with a step-by-step recipe for lazy cabbage rolls. So, from words to action.
Cooking method
Rinse thoroughly and soak for some time in hot water (30 minutes will be enough). Scroll the meat in a meat grinder, lightly salt and add a pinch of pepper.
Wash the cabbage, remove the top leaves and finely chop. Add a pinch of salt and gently push it with your hands so that the leaves release juice. Onions also need to be washed and chopped in small pieces. Peel the carrots and grate. Rinse the tomatoes thoroughly under running water and divide into four parts. Chop greens. Pass the garlic through the press.
Now you can get the crock-pot. Pour a small amount of olive oil at its bottom (if it is not, you can replace it with vegetable oil). In a deep bowl, mix all the ingredients (onions, carrots, cabbage, minced meat, herbs), season with spices and mix lightly (you can use your hands).
Now you need to prepare a dressing for stuffed cabbage. To do this, mix chopped garlic, tomatoes, salt, water and milk, black pepper in a separate container. Put all the ingredients in the multicooker bowl and pour in the so-called sauce, set the mode "Extinguishing" and do other household chores. Serve the dish after an hour and a half. As you can see, lazy cabbage rolls in a step-by-step execution is simple.
Lean dish
During the church holidays, the Lenten menu becomes the most relevant topic, because it is rather difficult to create a delicious and non-greasy dish. Try to surprise your loved ones with lean cabbage rolls, the taste of which will be no less bright. To prepare this dish, you will need the following ingredients:
- 500 grams of cabbage.
- Twice as few mushrooms (you can use fresh forest mushrooms, mushrooms or a frozen product).
- Half a glass of rice.
- Carrots and onions (one each).
- A bunch of any fresh greens.
- A couple of cloves of garlic.
- A few tablespoons of semolina (three will be enough).
- Vegetable oil.
Now you can start cooking lean dishes.
Step by step recipe
- First of all, it is necessary to chop the cabbage as in the traditional recipe, boil a little and throw it in a colander so that the excess liquid is in the glass (we do not pour the broth - it will come in handy).
- From carrots and onions to make frying. As soon as the onion gets a golden hue, you need to throw the prepared mushrooms into the pan (they must be washed and chopped).
- Rice in this case should be boiled until almost cooked. It must be mixed with cabbage, and then add the remaining vegetables and mushrooms.
- There is no place for eggs in the Lenten menu, so for the viscosity of the mass you can add semolina. To swell it, you should leave the mince for a while (15 minutes will be enough).
- Now you can form small cutlets, fry them on both sides in a pan and leave on fire, pour in a small amount of water or lean sauce. Now cabbage rolls can only be stewed over low heat for half an hour.
โSuper-lazyโ cabbage rolls are even easier to cook - you donโt need to create pot-bellied cutlets - just mix the minced meat thoroughly and put it out in a saucepan or slow cooker. You can also bake the whole mass in the oven - you get something like a casserole, which can be served with sour cream or any other sauce.