Cabbage rolls are down-home comfort food. This smoky version eliminates most of the carbs, leaving you with a soothing winter meal that packs a powerful protein punch!
Bring a pot of water to a full boil and place a metal colander over it. Drop the cabbage leaves into the colander and allow them to steam until softened but not completely soft (about 5 minutes). Place in a bowl and set aside.
Add salt, pepper, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and stir completely into mixture. Finally add cauliflower rice. Allow the mixture to cook an additional 2 minutes or so.
In a blender or food processor, pulse whole tomatoes (with canning liquid) until liquefied. Add garlic powder, onion powder, and remaining Worcestershire sauce and pulse again.
To assemble rolls: Lay a cabbage leaf on a clean surface and spoon in about 2 ounces of the meat mixture. Then fold long ends inward and roll longways (as you would roll a burrito). Place in a casserole dish.
When all leaves are stuffed and rolled, pour tomato sauce on top.
For less saucy cabbage rolls (pictured): bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
For more saucy cabbage rolls: bake covered with foil for 20 minutes.
Recipe Notes
For cabbage rolls, you want to use the largest leaves you can. To do that, you’ll peel off and discard the outermost green leaves (those are too tough to use). Then cut the stem from the head of cabbage and carefully peel back the larger, lighter green leaves. If you find it hard to peel them back without breaking them, try steaming the entire head of cabbage about 2-3 minutes to loosen the leaves up.
If you like a lot of sauce in your cabbage rolls, you can make an additional batch of sauce using the 10 oz. of tomatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce, as listed above.