I was curious about stuffed cabbages, but I wasn’t feeling the recipes that I found online for tomato based sauces or rice stuffing or some stuffing with raisins in it. Not my thing. I knew what flavor I wanted, and it was Asian…like a dumpling but healthier.

I remembered a SkinnyTaste Asian turkey meatball recipe that was a success. I figured why not stuff the cabbage with that?? WHY NOT?! I did just that but mixed the turkey with some beef and made the accompanying sauce and it was DELICIOUS.

Onward to the pictures and recipe!! Lesssgoooo!!

Asian Stuffed Cabbage

Recipe adapted from SkinnyTaste’s Asian Turkey Meatballs 

What You’ll Need

For the meat stuffing

• 1/4 cup panko crumbs
• 1/2 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
• 1/2 lbs 80/20 ground beef
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• Pepper to taste
• Minced pieces of cooked cabbage (Once you cook the cabbage leaves there will be little ones at the end you cannot make rolls with…chop them up and add it to the meat mixture!)
• 2 tsp of red pepper flakes (optional)

For the cabbage

•  1 head of cabbage
• a pot of water, big enough for head of cabbage to float in

For Sauce

• 3 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of red vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh scallion
• 1 tbsp of thing ginger slivers

What to do

1. Bring your pot of water to a boil.
2. Core your cabbage (Here is how: http://bit.ly/1vz28gm ;  Skip to 4:40 to watch Martha Stewart core the cabbage)
3. When your water boils, turn it down to a simmer, and carefully drop the cabbage into the water. Cover the pot and let it sit for a few minutes so the leaves get soft.
4. You can tell when the leaves are ready when you take a pair of tongs (preferably ones with silicone claws…probably not the right word) and wiggle the outside leaves off the cabbage. When you manage to wiggle the outer cooked leaves off the head of cabbage, place the leaves on a plate and cover the pot so the other leaves can continue to cook. Repeat until you you have a ball of cabbage slightly smaller than a tennis ball.
   1. Take this ball. Chop it up and set it aside to add to your meat mixture.
5. In a large bowl, add everything for the meat mixture and mix it well so everything is incorporated.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Now to wrap! Take a cabbage leaf, cut the hard spine at the bottom in a V shape. Spoon the meat mix (about 2 tbsp) into each leaf depending on how big it is, and wrap! The curled edges of the leaf will help you tuck everything in.
8. Lightly oil a baking dish with olive oil. Place the rolls in the dish. Drizzle a little olive oil over them. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Be careful when the rolls are finished they will be hot hot hot!
9. While the rolls are baking, mix everything for the sauce in a bowl, and season so taste! BOOM. DONE.