Cabbage Rolls With Herby Yogurt Sauce

Stuffed with beef and rice, these hearty cabbage rolls pair with a bright, tangy yogurt sauce.

YIELD: Makes 10 cabbage rolls — 5 servings

INGREDIENTS:

For the cabbage rolls:

• 10 green cabbage leaves — see directions below for separating the leaves

• Olive oil (to grease the baking dish)

• 1 pound ground beef, 85% lean

• 1/2 small yellow onion (~1 cup) diced finely

• 2 tsp. grated garlic

• 1.5 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 tsp. greek oregano

• 1 tsp. garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

• 1 cup short grain rice

• 1.5 cups chicken stock

• 1 tbsp. dijon mustard

• Juice from 1 small lemon (~2 tbsp.)

For the herby yogurt:

• 10 oz. plain greek yogurt

• Juice from 1 small lemon (~2 tbsp.)

• 2 tbsp. fresh dill, minced

• 2 tbsp. green onions or chives, minced

• 2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

TOOLS:

• 9 x 12 rectangular baking dish

• Aluminum foil

---

INSTRUCTIONS

Prep the cabbage leaves:

There are a couple ways you can go about separating leaves from a green cabbage:

1. Freeze a whole head of green cabbage for at least 24 hours, then let it thaw—submerging the cabbage in cold water can help speed up the defrosting. This process allows ice crystals to break down the cell walls of the cabbage, resulting in leaves that should be bright green in appearance and pliable. Remove the core and gently peel off the leaves.

2. Cut the core out of a head of a green cabbage. Remove the tougher outer leaves, then carefully peel the inner leaves off one-by-one. In a large part of salted water, boil a few leaves at a time for a couple minutes until pliable.

Make the rolls:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (F). Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12 baking dish with olive oil.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, thoroughly combine the ground beef, diced onion, garlic, kosher salt, oregano, garlic powder, black pepper, and rice.

3. To roll: take a leaf of cabbage and situate the root end of the leaf towards you. Place a little over 1/4 cup of the meat mixture on the root end and pat it into a rough oval shape. Fold the sides of the cabbage over the meat . Pick up the root side of the leaf and fold it over the meat, rolling away from you until you form a neat cabbage roll. Repeat until you’ve filled and rolled all 10 leaves.

4. Lay the cabbage rolls into the greased baking dish. They fit comfortably in 2 rows of 5.

5. Whisk the chicken stock, dijon mustard, and lemon juice together in a measuring cup or bowl with a spout. Pour the liquid over the rolls until the liquid reaches halfway up the cabbage rolls.

6. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees (F) for 45 minutes - 1 hour until the meat mixture is cooked through and the rice is tender.

7. While the cabbage rolls bake, make the herby yogurt sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the greek yogurt, lemon juice, dill, green onion/chives, kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

8. Remove the cabbage rolls from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with a generous dollop of the herby yogurt.