I love it when I make a recipe that my whole family can enjoy. You would think my kids would turn their noses up at the sound of stuffed cabbage rolls (they would) but when I gave them a dish of these for the first time, I didn’t say too much about it and made sure to cut it up real well so that cabbage just blended in with the meat and rice mixture. They didn’t ask any questions and I kept my mouth shut as they ate away. Recipes like this one get noted for regular rotation in my house.
Napa cabbage is starting to become a favorite veggie of mine. It’s so versatile. You can add it to soups, use it as filling for potstickers, make a slaw or salad like this Asian Chopped Salad or of course use it to make stuffed cabbage rolls like shown here today. It’s a mild and delicate cabbage, which is why I think my kids didn’t make too much of a fuss. I find myself purchasing it more often these days, and was happy when my friend Bev shared this recipe from Whole Living last year which I changed up slightly with what I had in my own kitchen.
As you already know I love splashing Nakano rice vinegar into any Asian inspired dish I’m making for my family. It’s such a great flavor booster, and really is a perfect way to brighten up your meals without any additional calories. You’ll always find a bottle of it in my kitchen. I added into the meat and rice filling, in addition to ginger, chili sauce and toasted sesame oil to get that fresh and distinct Asian flavor we all know and love.
This meal is a great one to prepare ahead. Mix together your filling, make your rolls and place in your baking dish (without water) to make it easier on yourself when it’s time to get dinner going. When you’re ready to cook them up, just add water and place into your oven.
These Asian style cabbage rolls are a great twist on stuffed cabbage. They are light and healthy, yet still a filling "one-pot" meal perfect for busy weeknights.
Recipe adapted from Whole Living
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
- 1 small onion, minced
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons Nakano rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chili or chili-garlic sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
- leaves from 1 large head of Napa cabbage
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare your filling by gently combining uncooked beef (or turkey), shredded carrots, cooked rice (or quinoa), garlic, ginger, onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili sauce and a pinch of salt and black pepper in a large mixing bowl.
- To make your leaves easy to roll, use a rolling pin to flatten to make leaves more pliable. If you find that your leaves are on the smaller side, use two to roll, overlapping both ends to make one big leaf.
- Spoon your filling to each leaf. Carefully roll each leaf tightly and place side by side in a large baking dish. Pour 1 cup of water over stuffed cabbage rolls and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until completely cooked through.
- Serve with juices from baking dish and additional chili sauce.
Notes
Time saving tip: Prepare rolls ahead of time (without water) and refrigerate until ready for baking.
For more ideas on how to use Nakano rice vinegars to splash on flavor (without the calories) to your meals visit Nakano on Facebook.
(Disclosure: I have a working relationship with and received products and compensation from Nakano, but my opinions are always my own. I developed this recipe using their product, but Nakano is a product you would already find in my home.)
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Love cabbage rolls Aggie but never thought to do them with an asian spin!
This recipe sounds incredible- what a great idea Aggie!! We love napa and of course I buy a gigantic bottle of rice vinegar from our Asian market we use it to so much!!
I wish Josh liked cabbage! Gahhh! These look amazing. You have the best recipes. Rice vinegar is super tasty. I love the way it smells (is that weird?
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Love this recipe! My mom made Cabbage Rolls when I was a kid and I always loved them. My kids have never tried them, but it’s high time they did
Definitely giving this a try soon!
I love stuffed cabbage but always forget about making it. I am bookmarking this to try soon.
I am loving all of the Asian dishes – the flavors sound perfect!
I love this and I love that they include rice too, Aggie!
I love this Asian version of stuffed cabbage rolls. They look really good!
I love Asian twists on things – and this recipe looks like a definite keeper!
Yum, these sounds so tasty and healthy! I almost bought napa cabbage on a whim at Hmart the other day – must do so next time so I can make these
This looks like my kind of comfort food!
Oh, Aggie. I LOVE cabbage rolls. They are so yummy.
Cabbage is a favorite in our house, but I’ve never tried to make cabbage rolls- they seem hard to make, but after reading your directions I think I can manage this!
Lucky you.You kids are much more adventurous than mine. Sigh. I suppose that means there would be more for me!!
I love this Aggie! I love cabbage rolls but making them with napa cabbage sounds even better.
Oh i make cabbage rolls EVERRRRY st. patty’s! and I just love them.
Love napa cabbage! And this is a perfect appetizer!
I love the looks of this one! I’ve always wanted to try stuffed cabbage but never did because the ones I’ve eaten from others are always very bland to me! This sounds very flavorful! Great post! =)
This looks awesome! I love the idea of an Asian stuffed cabbage!
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