Last week in my CSA crate I received a beautiful head of cabbage, so I decided to concoct a flavorful entree that features cabbage! Cabbage is often used in Ethiopian cooking, which I love, so I knew this dish would be one of my favorites.
I combined the commonly-used Ethiopian spices — turmeric, cumin, garlic, and ginger — with a naturally creamy mash of potatoes, carrots, white beans, and onion, and served it all stuffed into steamed cabbage leaves. If you don’t want to take the time to stuff cabbage leaves, you can always chop your cabbage and cook it with your other vegetables!
Because this dish contains turmeric, ginger, garlic, and onions, it’s perfect for combating chronic inflammation, which is responsible for joint pain, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, lower respiratory disease, and nephritis, among other common ailments.
Cabbage is also a cruciferous vegetable, which makes it a great cancer-fighting food. Additionally, this dish is low in fat, contains a good amount of protein and fiber from the beans, and is filling and flavorful!
To stuff your cabbage leaves, simply spoon the vegetable mash into the center of each leaf, fold in the sides, then roll them up like mini burritos, placing each one into the baking dish with the loose flaps down to keep them from unrolling. Pack the rolls into the baking pan as well as you can, pour about a half cup of vegetable broth over them, cover the dish, and steam the cabbage rolls in the oven until they are translucent.
- 1½ cups chopped carrots (about one large carrot)
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 t. minced garlic
- ¾ t. ground turmeric
- 1 t. ground cumin
- 1 t. pureed fresh ginger
- 1 lb. yukon gold or red potatoes, diced (no need to peel if organic)
- 1½ cups vegetable broth, divided
- ¾ t. salt, plus more to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 can white beans, drained
- 1 head cabbage, leaves separated
- Optional: fresh cilantro for garnish
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat about ¼ inch of water in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook about 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add the turmeric, cumin, garlic, and ginger. Stir and cook about one minute, then add the potatoes and 1 cup of vegetable broth.
- Increase heat to medium-high and cook uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are soft (15-20 mins). Add the salt, pepper, and beans, and roughly mash the mixture with a potato masher.
- Spoon about ½ cup of your vegetable mash into each cabbage leaf, fold in the sides, then roll up like small burritos. Pack your cabbage rolls into a baking dish, pour ½ cup of vegetable broth over the rolls, and cover your dish with foil and place it into the oven to steam until the cabbage is translucent, 35-45 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with a green salad for a complete, nutritious meal.
Your family will love this colorful and fun dish! You can even tell your kids they’re homemade Hot Pockets if you like 😉
This dish also freezes well, so I recommend freezing the leftovers for an easy and nutritious meal later in the month.
Dinner is served!
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