1 tsp salt
1 lb ground beef
¼ tsp steak spice or steak sauce
1/8 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten
8 slices bacon fried and drained or ½ to 1 lb ground pork
1/3 c uncooked rice (see note below)
1 large cabbage
2 TBsp butter
2 c thinly sliced onion
1 bottle spaghetti sauce (660ml 796ml – your choice of flavour, I use a neutral flavoured sauce)
1 ¼ c water
½ c chopped celery
1 Tbsp minced parsley
3 TBsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp pepper
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Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Mix first six ingredients and add rice.
Cook cabbage leaves. Bring a large, wide saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add cabbage leaves and cook for 2-4 minutes or until softened; drain.
For the sauce, cook onion in butter and then add the remainder of the ingredients. Cook 10 minutes.
Stuff the cabbage. Taking one leaf at a time, spoon about 2 tablespoons of beef mixture onto each cabbage leaf. Bring one end of the cabbage leaf over the mixture. Roll and tuck in the ends to prevent the filling from falling out.
Spray a large roasting pan with a little cooking spray (Pam). Put a small amount of the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Arrange cabbage rolls seam-side down in the roasting pan. Pour the remainder of the sauce over the cabbage rolls.
Cover and cook for 2-3 hours. The internal temperature of the cabbage rolls should be 165°F.
Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes to allow the sauce to settle and make it easier for serving.
Note: Some cooks like to boil the rice before adding it to the mixture. I’ve always had success with adding it uncooked and it saves me an extra step. Cabbage rolls are baked at a low temperature for a long time, with a fair amount of liquid which helps cook the rice.