Grandma Elaine's Unstuffed Sweet and Sour Cabbage

25 Reviews

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 2 hr 40 min
Ready In: 3 hr 20 min

“This is a family heirloom recipe that has been handed down through the ages. My mother taught it to me, and I tweaked it to its current form. I have eaten all kinds of 'stuffed' cabbage and this recipe beats them all. It's sweet, sour, and comforting. The flavors are even better the second day. This dish also freezes well.” - by Chef Daddy Pete

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Metric US

Original recipe yields 10 servings

Directions

Place the vegetable oil into a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the sliced onions, and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce, using a spoon to slightly chop the whole tomatoes. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir the cabbage into the tomatoes. Cover, and simmer 1 hour until the cabbage is tender and mixes easily with the tomatoes.
Place the ground beef, eggs, finely chopped onion, rice, water, additional 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix together with hands until thoroughly blended. Add additional rice if mixture is too moist. Form into golf ball-sized meatballs. Place meatballs on a plate, and refrigerate 20 minutes to firm.
Place meatballs on the surface of the tomato mixture. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the meatballs are firm and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Gently stir the meatballs into the tomato mixture. Cover the pot and continue to simmer 45 minutes more. Stir in the lemon juice, and taste for seasoning, adding additional lemon juice if required. Stir in the raisins, and honey. Add the brown sugar, a little at a time, tasting after each addition. Cook mixture over medium heat 15 minutes more.

Nutrition

Amount Per Serving (10 total)

Calories
347 cal
17%

Fat
15.2 g
23%

Carbs
34.7 g
11%

Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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Reviews (25)

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Ama's recipes

Oct. 20, 2008

"This is the first recipe I have done a review on. I have made this multiple times and it is awesome. I made it as written. Don't leave out the ingredients you add at the end. They are what makes this ..." See morerecipes flavor so unique."

SunnyByrd

Apr. 21, 2010

"We really liked this. I adjusted this recipe to use 5lbs of ground beef, so I made a LOT of it. I took it easy on the salt and really easy on the sugar. This would have been way too sweet for us as wr..." See moreitten, so be sure to sweeten it to your taste. The lemon and raisins are a fantastic addition. Thanks for the recipe!"

Rick

Mar. 15, 2010

"THis is really good. It takes a few hours to prepare but it is really worth it. There is a nice balance between the sour lemon juice and the brown sugar and honey. I highly recomend this!..." See more"

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