Italian Stuffed Cabbage in Tomato Sauce
Christopher King
Italian Stuffed Cabbage
Tender savoy cabbage leaves wrapped around a sausage, bread, herb, and Parmesan filling, then simmered gently in a simple tomato garlic sauce.
Nutrition (per serving)
Italian stuffed cabbage turns a handful of modest ingredients into a cold-weather dinner with real comfort: soft savoy leaves, a savory sausage filling, and a light tomato sauce that keeps the rolls moist without weighing them down. The filling is closer to a tender meatball than a dense cabbage-roll stuffing because milk-soaked bread loosens the sausage and Parmesan adds salt and depth.
Savoy cabbage is especially useful here because its leaves are broad, flexible, and easy to blanch. Once the thick ribs are trimmed, the leaves fold neatly around golf ball-sized portions of filling and hold together with toothpicks while they simmer.
The sauce stays deliberately simple. Garlic blooms briefly in olive oil, canned plum tomatoes are crushed into rough pieces, and the cabbage parcels cook slowly until the filling is done and the sauce has picked up the flavor of the sausage and herbs.
Serve the rolls with plenty of tomato sauce spooned over the top. Mashed potatoes, creamy polenta, or crusty bread all work well alongside because they catch the juices without competing with the cabbage.
Ingredients
- large savoy cabbage:1
- day-old bread, crusts removed and torn into small pieces:7 oz
- whole milk:2/3 cup
- sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed:14 oz
- fresh sage, finely chopped:1 tsp
- fresh rosemary, finely chopped:1 tsp
- grated Parmesan cheese:2 tbsp
- kosher salt:to taste
- freshly ground black pepper:to taste
- peeled plum tomatoes:28 oz
- olive oil:2 tbsp
- garlic clove, minced:1
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove any damaged outer cabbage leaves, then carefully peel off 12 large whole leaves.
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Blanch the cabbage leaves in batches for 30 to 60 seconds, just until flexible. Transfer them to clean towels and let them drain and cool.
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Put the torn bread in a large bowl, pour the milk over it, and let it stand for a few minutes. Mash with a spoon until the bread is soft and paste-like.
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Add the sausage, sage, rosemary, Parmesan, a small pinch of salt, and black pepper to the bread mixture. Mix gently until evenly combined.
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Lay one cabbage leaf flat and shave down any very thick rib with a paring knife. Shape a golf ball-sized portion of filling, set it near the base of the leaf, wrap the leaf around it, and secure the packet with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.
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Crush the tomatoes by hand or chop them roughly in the can. Heat the olive oil in a wide Dutch oven or deep saute pan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
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Add the tomatoes and their juices, bring the sauce to a gentle boil, and season lightly with salt if needed.
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Nestle the cabbage packets into the sauce in a single snug layer. Cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes.
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Remove the toothpicks, turn the rolls carefully, cover again, and simmer for 25 minutes more, until the filling is cooked through and the cabbage is tender.
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Uncover and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly. Rest the rolls for 10 to 15 minutes before serving with sauce spooned over them.
Tips & Notes
- If a cabbage leaf tears, overlap the torn edges around the filling and secure it with the toothpick; the sauce will hold the packet together as it cooks.
- Chicken sausage can replace pork sausage, but choose a well-seasoned fresh sausage so the filling stays flavorful.
- The rolls are easier to turn if they fit in one layer in a wide pan rather than being stacked.
