Side Dish Vegetable Side Dish Cabbage Cabbage Roll Lebanese Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Beef 4.5 (2) 2 Reviews These cabbage rolls are stuffed with a mixture of ground beef, rice and warm spices and cooked in a savory tomato sauce seasoned with garlic and mint. Topping the rolls with lemon juice just before serving gives the dish a bright flavor. They would make a wonderful centerpiece for a Sunday supper. By Emily Ackerman Emily Ackerman Emily Ackerman is a Lebanese American food blogger and the founder of apinchofadventure.com. Her expertise is in Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine as well as in family friendly cooking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 28, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is the senior nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Jacob Fox Active Time: 1 hr Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins Servings: 8 Nutrition Profile: Nut-Free Dairy-Free Soy-Free Egg-Free Gluten-Free Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe Growing up in a Lebanese American family, my home was always filled with delicious smells and tastes. And when our large family gathered, not only were we so excited to see people, but we were excited to eat together. In a Lebanese home, the eating starts well before everyone is seated at the table—it starts when the cooking starts. I have heard stories of my relatives painstakingly rolling out the thinnest homemade phyllo dough, laying it out on every available surface of the house to dry, all to make a perfect, huge batch of baklava. For my parent's wedding, my mother's relatives together worked in the kitchen for months, affectionately making—from scratch—all of the food for the wedding guests. This collaborative food preparation, whether for big events or a family meal, was all for the sake of family and relationships. Most of my memories with my sittie (Arabic for grandmother) consist of cooking with her. She would help me prepare Lebanese stuffed cabbage rolls, and never batted an eye when they fell apart and actually looked more like shapeless blobs. She always told me they were perfect. Outside my sittie's house was the tantalizing scent of basil and mint growing in her yard. These smells, to this day, remind me how our food is interconnected with family, familiarity and love. Cooking and eating, for all cultures, has a way of strengthening relationships, and I learned how to do that well through the examples of my sittie and mother. Neither my mother nor I were born in Lebanon, but being Lebanese American still kept us close to the culture. Making traditional dishes like kibbeh (a ground lamb/beef dish with Lebanese spices and pine nuts), meat pies, stuffed cabbage rolls and fattoush (a fresh salad with parsley, lemon dressing and lightly fried pita bread triangles) brings me closer to my roots. Whenever I cook these traditional dishes, I remember those loved ones who went before me and affectionately taught me the way of Lebanese food. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1 head green cabbage (2 to 2 1/2 pounds) 1 pound lean ground beef 1 cup long-grain white rice 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce, divided 2 ½ teaspoons salt, divided ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground pepper 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon dried mint 3 cups water Juice of 1 lemon Directions Remove cabbage core with a paring knife; discard core and outer leaves. Place the trimmed cabbage in a large pot and fill with water. Bring the water to a simmer and cook, turning occasionally, until the leaves are pliable, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the cabbage from the water. Separate the leaves, being careful not to tear them. Meanwhile, place beef, rice, 3 tablespoons tomato sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, cinnamon and pepper in a medium bowl; mix with your hands until just combined. Cut the larger cabbage leaves in half along the rib, then cut out the rib completely; reserve the ribs and leaves separately. The cut leaves should be about 4 inches by 6 inches. Leave smaller leaves whole. Place a generous tablespoon of the meat mixture along the edge of a cabbage leaf (where the rib was). Roll up the leaf tightly, folding in the sides as you roll. Repeat with the remaining leaves and meat mixture. Place half of the reserved cabbage ribs in one layer in the bottom of a large pot. Arrange half of the cabbage rolls on top of the ribs, forming a fairly tight layer. Drizzle with 1/3 of the remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle with 1/3 of the garlic, 1/3 of the mint and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Arrange the remaining ribs on top of the first layer. Drizzle with 1/2 of the remaining sauce and sprinkle with 1/2 each of the remaining garlic and mint and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add water to a large measuring cup; stir in the remaining tomato sauce, garlic and mint. Pour the mixture over the rolls. Place a plate on top of the rolls. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a roll registers 160°F. Remove the plate and drizzle lemon juice over the rolls. EatingWell.com, March 2021 Save Rate Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 183 Calories 6g Fat 18g Carbs 14g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 8 Serving Size 4 rolls Calories 183 % Daily Value * Total Carbohydrate 18g 7% Dietary Fiber 4g 14% Total Sugars 7g Protein 14g 28% Total Fat 6g 8% Saturated Fat 2g 10% Cholesterol 37mg 12% Vitamin A 262IU 5% Sodium 805mg 35% Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate. * Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.) (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.