Cabbage Rolls with Ground Beef & Rice

You can buy excellent frozen cabbage rolls at The Cottage Butcher in Bala, Ontario (from Natalie's Kitchen) in Toronto. After going through a few recipes I had, I came up with this compilation of homemade cabbage rolls.  You can prepare them ahead, and put them in their roasting pan in the fridge. And then bake them 2 1/2 hours before you're ready to serve.

Makes 8 large cabbage rolls 

1 Large head fresh cabbage, cored
1 cup of sauerkraut, drained (for the roast pan)

Filling Ingredients: 

1 cup of brown rice, (parboiled)
1/4 - 1/3 cup chopped onion, fried
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup of sauerkraut (drained)
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
1 TBS fresh dill, finely chopped (optional)

Sauce Ingredients: 

4 - 14 oz cans Hunts Tomato sauce
1 cup of water
Pinch of brown sugar
salt & pepper to taste

Directions: 

Core the cabbage by using a knife and cutting out the core as deep as you can.  Fill a large pot with water, and add the cabbage whole. Bring it to a boil and boil for 20-25 minutes. Remove the cabbage and put it in a bowl of cold water.  Gently remove 8-10 of the outer leaves and put them on a t-towel. Dry. Remove a few more leaves to be used to line the roasting pan, whole and some chopped.

Boil the rice for about 6 minutes, and then drain it. Cool it by running cold water over it.
Fry the onions in a bit of oil. Cool. You can also use shallots for a milder taste.
Mix with all the remaining filling ingredients in a medium size bowl.

Rolling the Cabbage Rolls:
To help the cabbage leaves roll easily, trim the thick part of the stem of each leaf with a paring knife.
Put 1/3 cup of filling on the core part of the leaf and start rolling from the bottom, tucking in the sides.

Preparing the Roast Pan.

Use the leftover leaves to line the bottom of the roast pan, protecting the cabbage rolls from sticking or burning. Then evenly spread the 1 cup of sauerkraut and more chopped cabbage along the bottom. Add a cup of water. Add a layer of cabbage rolls. Add about 1/2 tomato sauce, and then another layer of the cabbage rolls. Top with more sauce and then a final layer of cabbage leaves.  Cover with tin foil, then put the lid on the roasting pan.

Bake in a 350F oven covered for 2 1/2 hours till rice is cooked inside. Remove the cabbage rolls using a wooden spoon so they don't break. Serve with more sauce from the pot and a side of sour cream.