Much like the 'cheater' casserole I worked up for the taste of Greek Dolmades without all of the work, I've now made two attempts at a casserole version of Cabbage Rolls. Adrian tells me that these two dishes top the list of his favourite weeknight dinners.
On this day, I was making Cabbage Roll casseroles as well as a batch of pasta sauce for the freezer - onions, carrots, celery, garlic, dehydrated zucchini and tomatoes from the garden (rehydrated overnight in tomato sauce), herbs and spices, ground pork and beef bought on special, and diced canned tomatoes also bought on special. Everything was cleaned chopped, sauced, browned and cooked up en masse, and what didn't get used in the casseroles went into the pot with some extra diced tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, sage, and dried garlic powder, then was frozen in blocks to quickly feed guests with minimal prep work.
The meat and vegetables for the casseroles, with rice added. Adrian said he would be fine with less meat and more rice and vegetables. This time, it worked out to a little under 1/4 pound of meat per serving, but I will adjust to make the meal less expensive and less dependant on grocery store meat. I'd like to try this with ground rabbit as well.
I browned the cabbage to encourage some deeper, sweet flavor, and for ease of layering in the dishes.
Cabbage, sauce, cabbage, and there you have 24 servings for the freezer, with no questionable ingredients.
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