Many years ago, my dad and I set out to make a roaster pan full of cabbage rolls. We looked at several different recipes, then decided to wing it... we started with some ingredients that were scribbled on a brown paper bag by a Lithuanian woman I knew who made cabbage rolls for her church bazaar... and added our own touch as we went along. We think WE make the best cabbage rolls!
*ALL ingredients are estimated
Sauce:
2 cans condensed tomato soup
1 lg. can tomato sauce
lemon juice
sugar (a little to cut the acid in the tomato soup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lg. jar sauerkraut-- for bottom of pan
3 lg. heads of cabbage
FILLING:
2# ground beef or a little more
1# ground pork
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups “cooled” cooked rice
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP salt
1 tsp. black pepper
few healthy shakes oregano
3 lg. onions, finely chopped
1 tsp. celery salt
Topping for sauce
1/2 pound partially cooked bacon
Cook whole heads of cabbage in boiling water about 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle separate leaves. Mix all remaining ingredients for filling. Start to roll cabbage rolls from the outside of leaf--roll towards stem.
Line roaster pan with 1 jar sauerkraut. Place rolls on top of kraut seam side down.
Sauce: Combine 2 cans tomato soup with 1 can tomato sauce. Add 1/4 cup water, 4 tsp. sugar and a splash of lemon juice. Mince garlic and add to sauce. Pour over rolls.
Lay partially cooked bacon across the top of the roaster pan of cabbage rolls
Bake covered at about 350 for 1 hour 45 mins. Baste often.
