This is my current addiction. Added bonus, cheap and healthy. I’ve seen a few cabbage casseroles but none with ground pork. I’ve tried hamburger, this is better. It almost took longer to type this than to make it.
You will need a reasonably deep casserole dish (at least 2" more is better) but it doesn’t have to be huge, I use a 7 x 9.
- 1 head cabbage, about 3 to 3.5 lbs.
- 1 lb. 80/20 pork (I get mine at Aldi for $3.19)
- 6 oz. block cheese, shredded (I use a block of Monterey Jack that I get from Walmart for $3.58/lb.)
- 1 smallish onion (2 to 3 oz.)
- 3 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
PREPARATION
Lightly oil the sides of the casserole, just to keep the cheese from getting baked on.
Dice the onion.
Slice the head of cabbage in half (cover and put away the other half, or do what I did and make coleslaw), remove the core and flabby outer leaves. Shred the cabbage. I slice the half in half and slice fine (basically a 1" long julien) with my knife but whatever works best for you to get small shreds.
Finely dice the garlic.
EXECUTION
Preheat a frying pan, add a bit of the oil and add the onion when the oil starts to shimmer. Sautee the onion until tender (about 4 minutes). Add the garlic, cook one more minute and remove to a bowl.
Break the pork into the pan and cook it through. When the pork is cooked through add the onion, garlic, tomato paste, oregano and enough water to loosen everything up a little (I’ve never measured, maybe half a cup, it’s sort of a '“however much it needs” situation). Simmer a couple minutes while stirring, remove to a bowl when the water evaporates (which is why you don’t want to add too much). NOTE: No, I didn’t forget to drain the pork fat, I never drain fat.
Pour half the remaining oil in the pan and add half the shredded cabbage. Toss gently so it’s all oiled then add about half a cup of water and cover. Let it cook at least 3 or 4 minutes then stir. Keep alternating with cooking covered and stirring until the cabbage is as tender as you like then pour into the casserole (The longer you cook it the less water you’ll have in the bottom of the casserole. It will take about 10 to 15 minutes). Repeat the process with the second quarter and put that in the casserole.
Spread the cabbage evenly. Spoon the pork mixture evenly across the cabbage, top with the shredded cheese.
Place the uncovered casserole in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. If desired you can broil for a couple minutes to lightly brown the cheese. Store covered in the refrigerator. Should keep at least a week but it’s never lasted that long.
THE NUMBERS
I used a lot of cabbage last time I made this, (probably too much, 3/4 of the head). I came up with a casserole that weighed 61.2 ounces. The numbers worked out this way for the entire casserole (raw ingredients).
Calories: 2613
Total fat: 192.9g (69.7%)
Carbs: 78.4g (7.7 %)
Protein: 141.6g (22.6%)