I know what drew me into this recipe: the words “lazy” and “slow cooker.”
The Hubs said he was craving some cabbage rolls right around the time I ran across this recipe. I figured it was a win-win. The flavors of cabbage rolls without actually going to the trouble of making them into rolls. I suppose it’s not that hard to roll them, but what is easier than layering cabbage, ground beef and tomato sauce in the crock pot?
There problem with these was that they are ugly food. I hate to even post this picture, because they look like something you’d clean out of your garbage disposal. But appearances are deceiving. They are mighty good.
Even Instagram couldn’t make this food any less ugly.
PROJECT RECIPE verdict: The Hubs says keeper. They WERE pretty easy. And tasty. And I have a ridiculous amount of ground beef in the freezer. I guess that’s a keeper recipe. These were rich and hearty from the rice and beef filling, and tangy from the tomato sauce. The recipe said to serve them with a spoonful of sour cream, and they were definitely good that way. I wasn’t really sure about the sour cream, but it really added something that was missing otherwise.
How I changed the recipe: I didn’t really. Except, I might not have sliced the cabbage as thin as the recipe said. It said to slice it in 1/2 inch slices, and I don’t think I would. The cabbage broke down quite a bit, and the bigger slices seemed to hold together a little better, which I liked. When I make it again, I think I will make more of the tomato sauce. It seemed like that would have been good, because it didn’t seem like there was enough.
I will warn you, though. Your house will smell pretty bad when you make these. Cooked cabbage doesn’t have a very welcoming smell. Especially when you walk into your house after work and smell these lazy cabbage rolls cooking. But at least dinner is hot and delicious and ready when you walk in the door. And you won’t even notice the smell of your house once you start eating these.
Delicious Potager 