I Stuffed 3 Whole Cabbages with Beef

Presenter / Channel

• Rick from Backyard Chef

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Ingredients (with quantities / amounts mentioned)

For the cabbage & boiling

• Whole cabbages: enough to make 3 stuffed cabbages
• Salt: added to boiling water (“some salt”)

Tomato sauce (“pata blender tin of tomatoes”)

• Tomato purée: a couple of tablespoons
• Sugar: “go in there” (speaker notes optional; can be omitted)
• Pepper: a little bit
• Salt: “not much”
• Dried oregano
• Beef stock: about 500 ml (compared to a ~400 ml tomato can)

Note: Blend tomatoes + tomato purée + seasonings. Then add stock or water so the liquid level reaches about halfway up the cabbages.

Beef mince filling

• Beef mince
• Onion: chopped finely
• Garlic: mashed/chopped (amount not specified)
• Egg: 1 egg
• Cooked rice: added (quantity not specified; “I’ve got cooked rice… going in there”)
• Breadcrumbs: mixed in; uses both cooked rice + breadcrumbs (either/or is mentioned, but he uses both)
• Worcestershire sauce: about 1 tablespoon
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Smoked paprika: optional substitution: sweet paprika if you don’t have smoked
• Dried oregano: again, in the filling seasoning

Cooking the chopped cabbage for the filling

• Oil: “a little bit”
• Butter: “a little bit” (to cook onion/garlic/chopped cabbage)

Serving

• Mashed potato
• Tomato sauce: used around the slice; also ladle some juices/gravy from the baking dish
• Optional: thicken the sauce “if you want” (method not specified)

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Equipment / prep

• Large pan of boiling salted water
• Cold water bath (to cool cabbages enough to handle)
• Tray/space to hold prepared cabbage shells
• Blender (or blender jug) for tomato sauce
• Pan for sautéing filling components
• Oven:
  • Set to 190°C
  • Baking dish/tray (he suggests putting it on a tray to catch spills)
• Foil (to cover tightly during the main bake)

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Step-by-step method (with timing/temps & technique cues)

1) Pre-cook whole cabbages

1. Bring boiling salted water in a pan.
2. Carefully add whole cabbages (don’t chop).
3. Boil 8–10 minutes to soften.
4. Remove and dump into cold water:
   • Purpose: cool them so you can handle them, not to fully stop the cooking.

2) Hollow the cabbage shells (remove core, keep a shell)

1. Place a cabbage on a tray.
2. Remove the core, but leave a hollow (don’t cut all the way down to the bottom).
3. Cut slightly on an angle toward the core to preserve cabbage thickness as a “shell.”
4. Save and chop up the removed cabbage finely (“fine chopped… like minced up”).

Technique note: When flipping/squeezing the cabbage, the presenter explains boiling causes cabbages to absorb water in the leaves, which comes out when squeezed (not “cabbage juices”).

3) Sauté chopped cabbage with aromatics (reduce water in filling)

1. In a pan, add a little oil + a little butter.
2. Start onion, then add chopped cabbage, then add garlic.
3. Sweat down until soft: about 5–7 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook briefly: about 1 minute.
5. Cool the sautéed cabbage mixture before mixing into the mince.

4) Make tomato sauce

1. Blend: tomatoes + tomato purée.
2. Add to taste:
   • sugar (optional)
   • pepper
   • salt (not much)
   • dried oregano
3. Add beef stock after:
   • Aim for about 500 ml total liquid.
   • He notes a 400 ml tomato can, so you may need to add water/extra stock.

5) Mix beef filling

1. Combine in a bowl:
   • beef mince
   • cooked rice
   • breadcrumbs (he uses both rice + breadcrumbs)
   • egg
   • Worcestershire sauce (~1 tbsp)
   • black pepper
   • salt
   • smoked paprika (or sweet paprika)
   • dried oregano
2. Add in the cooled sautéed onion/garlic/cabbage and stir through.

Variation note: You could use cooked lentils instead of rice (but the main build uses cooked rice).

6) Assemble and bake

1. Arrange the hollowed cabbage shells in a tray/baking dish.
2. Ladle tomato sauce into the dish so it goes about halfway up the cabbages.
3. Stuff mince into each cabbage hollow:
   • Push down gently—don’t compress too much.
   • Let it settle naturally.
4. Bake at 190°C.
5. Cover tightly with foil.
6. Bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes.
7. Bake 15 minutes uncovered to prevent a watery top and encourage browning.

7) Check doneness + brown

• Internal temp target mentioned: ~71°C / 160°F
• After removing foil and for serving timing, he references a brief additional bake period (e.g., 5–6–7 minutes in context).

8) Serve / plating

1. Let it sit briefly (“bring it out” after the final browning).
2. Slice one stuffed cabbage in half to show the filling.
3. Plate with:
   • mashed potato
   • tomato sauce around the slice
   • some of the baking juices/gravy from the tray
4. Texture described: tender cabbage with a tiny crunch from oven caramelization/browning.

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Tips & technique cues (as stated)

• Squeeze out absorbed water from cabbage leaves after boiling to reduce watery filling.
• Cool the sautéed cabbage mixture before mixing into mince.
• Keep enough sauce so it reaches ~halfway up the cabbages, but expect liquid to come out—cover tightly early.
• Use foil tightly for the initial bake; remove to brown and avoid a watery top.
• Internal temperature target: ~71°C.

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Common issues avoided (implied by method)

• Avoid a watery, unbrowned top by baking uncovered for ~15 minutes after the covered portion.
• Avoid cutting the core removal all the way to the bottom so the cabbage stays a proper “shell.”

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Variations mentioned (concise)

• Filling binder: rice + breadcrumbs (speaker uses both) and suggests cooked lentils as an alternative.
• Sauce sweetness: sugar is optional.
• Paprika: smoked paprika or sweet paprika if unavailable.

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Sources / references

• Inspired by a market photo of stuffed cabbage (described as likely pork mince + Thai-style herbs/spices); Rick adapts it into a beef-mince stuffed whole-cabbage version.
• No other external recipe sources are cited beyond that market inspiration image.