Stuffed Cabbage Rolls!

Alright, I apologize in advance. I did not take pictures of how to make these step-by-step, let alone any pictures at all.

I found the recipe at AllRecipes (I LOVE THIS SITE! I get most of my recipes here-though I alter most of the recipes I get). The link is here. To make this a little easier, I will post their ingredients/instructions, and then make notes at the end of what I did different.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked white rice
8 cabbage leaves
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Bring a large, wide saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add cabbage leaves and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until softened; drain.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, 1 cup cooked rice, onion, egg, salt and pepper, along with 2 tablespoons of tomato soup. Mix thoroughly.
Divide the beef mixture evenly among the cabbage leaves. Roll and secure them with toothpicks or string.
In a large skillet over medium heat, place the cabbage rolls and pour the remaining tomato soup over the top. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring and basting with the liquid often.



Now here is what I did:

First, I did not cook the rice first. I used Instant Brown Rice (healthier than white, and cooks quicker), and I'm not sure how much I used. I'd start with a cup and add more or less depending on how much soup or can tomatoes you use. If I had to guess, I would say I used 1 1/2-2 cups of uncooked rice. I cooked the ground beef first, along with a whole (medium) onion. Drain that, and add the rice, egg. I also added a can of diced tomatoes with garlic and onion to this mix. I did not add salt, but I did lightly pepper the mixture. I used a large can of condensed tomato soup (I think it is about 26 oz). I added about a third of the can to the mixture.
Tips on the cabbage leaves... cut the core out as best as you can. I wish I had taken a picture of this part because you aren't really coring it, but making a little "teepee" around the core. This makes it WAY easier to get a cabbage leaf off without tearing. (I learned this from experience) Boil for 3-4 minutes, drain, and add some mixture to the middle of leaf. Roll up and secure with a toothpick. Place in pan, and top with remaining soup. I cooked them for about 40 minutes (on high until it started to boil, then low for the remaining time...make sure to baste often). I also put about half of them in the slow cooker- on Low for 4 hours or High for 2- make sure you check them, as not all slow cookers are the same. I will say I DO NOT recommend putting these in the oven. I tried that, and while they tasted fine, they were a little "harder" than in the pan or slow cooker.

This was definitely a hit in my household. Alice loved it... though I think the cabbage gave her some bad tummy aches!