Cabbage Rolls - of sorts.

Wednesday afternoon, I was pondering what to make for dinner. I had half a head of cabbage, half a pound of sausage and a little less than a pound of ground deer that needed used. My first thought was, "Cabbage Rolls." I love cabbage rolls, but have never made them. The one thing I do know, though, is they take time.

Time is something that I do not have this week. With extra activities everyday this week, and Tim's parents coming for the weekend, I did not want to take the time to make cabbage rolls. "There must be something similar," I thought. A quick search yielded a recipe for Cabbage Roll Casserole. I used the recipe as a guide to make dinner with what we had on hand. This is how I made it.

1. Brown meat, about 1 1/2 pounds. I used sausage and ground deer. Drain fat.
2. In the food processor, shred 1/2 head of cabbage, and chop 1 onion.
3. Mix cabbage and onion in a casserole dish. Add two 8oz cans tomato sauce, 1/2 C uncooked rice, 1 C broth, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Mix it all up, cover and bake at 350 F. I used the Speed Bake option on my oven. Bake for about 45 minutes, stir, recover and bake for another 15 minutes. Obviously, it will take longer if you aren't using speed bake. Bake until the rice is done.

It tasted just like cabbage rolls. I really enjoyed it. Tim liked it too, and reported it was an excellent way to sneak cabbage into a meal. The cabbage, shredded with the food processor, blended in with the rice. The kids were ok with the casserole. I think it is something they would grow to like.

It doesn't have the presentation of cabbage rolls, but for family dinner, I'm not too concerned about that. It tasted good. It was quick to put together. It is inexpensive. In my book, that makes it a winner.