Greek Egg-Lemon Stuffed Cabbage
This is one of those great comfort food recipes. You know, the recipes that just make you feel better when you make and eat them. The thyme and lemon give this filling a delicious and unique taste.
Ingredients
- 1 Large Head of Cabbage
- 1 Cup Uncooked Rice
- 1 Medium Onion
- 1 lb Ground turkey, chicken or beef
- 4 Large Lemons equaling 1-cup lemon juice
- 4 Egg yolks
- ½ tsp Thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 Cups Reserved broth from cooking cabbage
Instructions
Prepare the Cabbage
- Fill a large pot with water and set on the stove to boil.
- Peel off the outer leaves and wash the cabbage head.
- Core the center of the cabbage.
- After the water is boiling and the cabbage is cored, carefully place the cabbage into the boiling water with the core facing up. After3-5 minutes, the outer leaves of the cabbage should be soft and can be removed from the water. If necessary, use a knife to cut the leaves away from the core. Continue this process until you have ~10-14 leaves of cabbage. The cabbage should not be too soft because it needs to hold together for the filling.
Cook the Filling
- Cook 1-cup of dry rice and set aside.
- To start the filling, chop a whole medium-sized onion and sauté in a pan with 1-tablespoon of olive oil for 5 minutes.
- Next, add the protein (e.g. ground turkey,chicken, or beef) to the onion. Cook the protein until there is no pink remaining.
- Add ½ teaspoon of thyme seasoning to the filling. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the cooked rice to the filling and combine.
- Squeeze the juice from one lemon and add that juice to filling. Stir to combine.
Assemble the Greek Egg-Lemon Stuffed Cabbage
- Take one cabbage leaf and add 2-3 tablespoons of the filling to the center of the leaf.
- Fold the right side of the leaf over the mixture and then fold the left side of the leaf over the mixture.
- Fold the non-core side of the leaf up and over the right and left folds.
- Fold the core side of the leave down over the non-core side. Assuming that the cabbage has not been cooked too much, this fold should hold nicely together without any support.
- Place the folded cabbage into the same pot that was used to boil the cabbage. Place the folded core side down in the pot. Continue this process until you have used up the filling.
Make the egg-lemon sauce
- Squeeze 3 lemons and place the juice into a bowl. You should have ½-⅔ cup of lemon juice.
- Separate the yolks from the eggs and place the yolks into a bowl.
- Combine the lemon juice with the egg yolks and mix together.
- Pour 2-cups of the cabbage broth into a bowl. Add the egg-lemon mixture to the broth and whisk to combine. If the broth is too lemony, add ¼-cup of broth at a time and taste. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the egg-lemon mixture over the cabbages. Cook the stuffed cabbages for 20-25 minutes on low-medium heat (very gently boil).
- When serving, place cabbage on a plate and spoon 3-tablespoons of the egg-lemon mixture over the cabbage.
Notes
This recipe is also delicious after it sits in the refrigerator for a day. The egg-lemon sauce will thicken and the lemon flavor will be nicely incorporated.