Budget Cabbage Rolls with Broken Rice, Egg, and Spiced Tomato Sauce

Name: Budget Cabbage Rolls with Broken Rice, Egg, and Spiced Tomato Sauce
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Fusión casera
Ingredients: 1 medium (about 2 lb) green cabbage; 2/3 cup broken rice; 2 large egg; 1 1/4 cups onion; 1 cup carrot; 3 cloves garlic; 13.5 fl oz tomato puree; 1 1/4 cups water; 1/3 cup breadcrumbs; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika; 3/4 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1 tsp sugar; 2 tbsp fresh parsley

A homemade, budget-friendly, and satisfying dish: cabbage leaves stuffed with broken rice, onion, carrot, and egg, simmered in a simple spiced tomato sauce. Ideal for an affordable, comforting meal.

25 minPrep

40 minCook

65 minTotal

4Servings

Vegetarian

Ingredients

Adjust servings

1 medium (approx. 900 g) green cabbage (se usarán 8 leaves large and a poco extra chopped)
120 g broken rice (enjuagado)
2 units egg (batidos lightly)
180 g onion (finely chopped)
120 g carrot (grated)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
400 ml tomato puree (for the sauce)
300 ml water (for cocción and sauce)
40 g breadcrumbs (for dar cuerpo al relleno)
30 ml vegetable oil (divided)
4 g sweet paprika (divided)
2 g ground cumin (divided)
1 g dried oregano (for the sauce)
6 g salt (or to taste, divided)
1 g black pepper (or to taste)
4 g sugar (for equilibrar the sauce)
10 g fresh parsley (chopped, for terminar)

Nutrition facts

per serving

254 kcal

Calories

9.1 g

Protein

31.8 g

Carbs

10.1 g

Fat

4.5 g

Fiber

27.3 g

Net carbs

Approximate nutritional information. Estimated from the recipe’s ingredients and amounts, using standard reference nutrition values. It may vary with brands, sizes and cooking method. For guidance only; not a substitute for medical or dietary advice.

Allergens

GlutenEggs

Instructions

1
1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F if you want to finish the dish in the oven. You can also cook the whole recipe on the stovetop.
2
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully separate 8 large cabbage leaves and boil them for 3 minutes until flexible. Remove and drain. Finely chop a little of the remaining cabbage to use in the cooking base.
3
3. Cook the broken rice in 180 ml water with a pinch of salt for 10 to 12 minutes, until tender and the liquid is absorbed. Let it cool slightly.
4
4. In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Sauté half of the onion, the grated carrot, and 1 garlic clove for 5 minutes. Add half of the sweet paprika, half of the cumin, a pinch of salt, and black pepper. Cook 1 minute more.
5
5. In a bowl, mix the cooked rice, the onion-carrot sauté, the 2 lightly beaten eggs, the breadcrumbs, and 1 tablespoon fresh parsley. Stir until you have a moist but firm filling.
6
6. Lay out each cabbage leaf, trim the thickest part of the stem if needed, and place a portion of filling in the center. Roll up, folding the sides inward to make compact rolls.
7
7. In a wide casserole or deep oven-safe skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the rest of the onion, the remaining garlic, and the chopped cabbage. Cook for 4 minutes until they start to soften.
8
8. Add the tomato puree, the remaining 120 ml water, the rest of the sweet paprika, the rest of the cumin, the dried oregano, the sugar, and the remaining salt. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to make a light sauce.
9
9. Arrange the rolls over the sauce seam-side down. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. If preferred, after 10 minutes on the stovetop you can transfer the pan to the oven at 180 °C / 350 °F for the final 10 minutes.
10
10. Remove from the heat or oven, let rest for 5 minutes, and finish with the remaining fresh parsley on top before serving.

Chef tips

If the cabbage leaves tear a little, you can patch the cracks with thin strips from another leaf. For a firmer texture, let the filling rest for 5 minutes before shaping the rolls.

Substitutions

You can use regular white rice instead of broken rice, adjusting the cooking time as needed. Parsley can be replaced with cilantro or sliced scallion greens. If you do not have breadcrumbs, use crushed dry bread.

What I used to make it

Generic kitchen tools that work for this recipe. You don’t need to buy anything to make it.

Illustrative image
Ninja Professional BL610 Blender
Smoothies, sauces and soups
- Smoothies, sauces and soups
- Easy-to-wash jar
- Check the power and jar size
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Illustrative image
Cosori Pro LE 5 Qt Air Fryer
Browning and baking with little oil
- Browns food with very little oil
- Handy for vegetables, chicken and reheating
- Check the basket capacity
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Illustrative image
TempPro TP19H Digital Thermometer
Checking doneness of meat and chicken
- Checks doneness of meat and chicken
- Quick reading
- Clean the probe after each use
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