Healthy Stuffed Cabbage

Here is a hearty healthy play on traditional stuffed cabbage.

The fat is reduced by using a 50/50 mix of very lean ground beef and lean ground turkey. Note: when purchasing ground turkey, look for ground turkey breast which will be 97% and 99% fat free - meaning minimal fat. I would also look for 97% lean ground beef for this dish. While you pay a higher price for the leaner ground meats - it is a small price to pay for better health.

The dish is also packed with several daily servings of veggies - making it both delicious and nutritious.

Ingredients

• 2 small onions, one minced, one sliced
• 1 head cabbage
• 1 can (16 oz.) diced tomatoes
• 1 medium carrot, sliced
• 1 slice stale whole wheat bread, crumbled
• ½ lb. lean ground beef
• ½ lb. ground turkey
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tbsp brown sugar or Splenda brown sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Process

1. Rinse and core cabbage - remove 10 outer leaves and place in saucepan
2. Cover with boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes
3. Remove the cooked cabbage leaves and drain on a paper towel
4. Shred ½ cup of raw cabbage and set aside
5. Brown beef, turkey and minced onion in skillet - after browning remove any fat that maybe present
6. Place cooked and drained meat mixture, bread crumbs, water and pepper in mixing bowl
7. Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid, and add ½ cup tomato juice from can to meat mixture and mix well
8. Place ¼ cup of filling on each parboiled, drained cabbage leaf and fold closed
9. Place folded side down in skillet
10. Add tomatoes, sliced onion, water, shredded cabbage and carrot
11. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until cabbage is tender, basting occasionally
12. Remove cabbage rolls to serving platter and keep warm
13. Mix lemon juice, brown sugar and cornstarch together in small bow
14. Add to vegetables and liquid in skillet and cook- stirring occasionally- until thickened and clear
15. Serve sauce over cabbage roll