Moroccan Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Can you believe I’m not wrapping something up in a goldarned tortilla?

I know!

But before we begin, did you see my boyfriend sing last night right after having kidney stone surgery? Uh, surgery made him hotter. Something about the removal of the kidney stones definitely made his eyes even more piercing and sparkly and breathtaking. And I’m absolutely certain that something happened during the sewing him up that positively caused his boyish yet rugged southern charm to increase by about 2 hundred thousand notches. And it made his hair even sexier. And I can’t breathe right now.

 

Aaron is totally not sick of me obsessing over him.

Sooo, Moroccan stuffed cabbage rolls! Ya know, sometimes I forget about Moroccan flavors. As a matter of fact, the only time I really think of them is when I’m watching CBS Sunday Morning or listening to Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! and Mo Rocca is on and I’m all, “Hey, it’s like Moroccan!” And Aaron looks back at me and says nothing. And then gets up and leaves the room. Forever.

 

Man, that Mo Rocca is so talented. I’d love to get a drink with him sometime. And then 7 more with Phillip Phillips, yeaaaaah.

THE CABBAGE ROLLS. So sorry.

So yeah, these are pretty awesome. They’re loaded with brown rice, lean ground turkey breast, fruit, herbs, freakin’ cinnamon and nutmeg and SMOKED PAPRIKA. All wrapped up in a cruciferous cradle. I’m kind of serious about this.

 

See the rip in the cabbage right there? Sometimes these things hap–oh ew! All that open space below makes me weak in my knees. I’m afraid to type anymore letters because they’ll just fall into the ABYSS. So I’m stopping right now to save the letters.

That was too close for comfort if you ask me.

THE ROLLS. Okay, so you bake them for about a half an hour and top them with a quick tomato drizzle. But I’ll give it to straight, you don’t even have to make the drizzle. You can do whatevs ya like. There’s so much delicious moisture inside that if you wanted to skip the drizzle, skip it. OR, if you wanted to make a different sort of drizzle, like wilted greens or a little bit of oil and parsley, fantabz.

 

ORRR if you’re like me, the saliva pouring from your head will be enough drizzle for every single serving times 30.

Or you could just go with the tomato drizzle.

Moroccan Stuffed Cabbage Rolls:

What it took for 9 rolls:

* 1 savoy or regular green head of green cabbage
* 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 pound ground turkey breast
* 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
* 1 Tbs. smoked paprika
* 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
* 1/3 cup dried cranberries
* 1/3 cup freshly chopped parsley
* 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1/2 cup brown jasmine rice
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Cook your rice in a rice cooker or in a pot. Whatever makes you happy in life.

Separate nine leaves from the head of cabbage, and using a rolling pin, roll out the stem so that it becomes pliable to roll.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium high. Add the onions and saute until soft, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.

Add the turkey and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, 6 minutes.

Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and paprika. Toss to combine. Add the parsley and dried cranberries, along with the cooked brown rice. Toss to combine and cook another couple of minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spoon the turkey filling into each cabbage cup, and roll up. Place in a baking dish, seam side down. Repeat 8 more times. Pour a glass of wine because that was pretty exhausting.

Pour 1/4 cup water over the rolls, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, pulse the tomatoes in a food processor until you have a puree. Pour into a small saucepan and simmer on low while the cabbage rolls cook. Add a splash of milk at the end, if ya want, along with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Serve stuffed cabbage rolls with a drizzle of the tomato sauce.

 

Oh my goodness! How on earth did this get here? So weird…

 

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25 Responses to Moroccan Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

  1. Tara @ Chip Chip Hooray March 15, 2012 at 1:44 pm #
    Whyyyyy do you make the food that I dream of stuffing my face with all day long?!
  2. Cassie March 15, 2012 at 1:52 pm #
    I mean, yum. And the cabbage rolls, too!
  3. Alicia @ The Reluctant Home Cook March 15, 2012 at 1:54 pm #
    These look amazing! Very unique recipe.
  4. Villy @ For the love of Feeding March 15, 2012 at 1:56 pm #
    Your "innocence" about the Philips photo cracked me up! LOL! (Also) the food looks delicious! :)
  5. Julia {The Roasted Root} March 15, 2012 at 1:58 pm #
    Aww, who's the handsome man? I'm on my second cup of coffee, but the photos at the end woke me right up! Why am I here again...oh yes, the recipe. Your recipe looks delicious! I keep meaning to try morroccan-style spices and still haven't gotten to it. Shame on me. This meal would work perfectly in my house so I'll try it this weekend and let you know how it goes :)
  6. Cookin' Cowgirl March 15, 2012 at 2:15 pm #
    Bahaha first off, I LOOOOOOVE Philip Phillips! Just sayin! Next, I really love raisins with spices like that. Such a wonderful combination of flavors! Perfect-o!
  7. Julie @ Table for Two March 15, 2012 at 2:20 pm #
    LOL how the hell did that picture get there?! ;) love the rolled up cabbage rolls! how creative you really are! sounds delicious and i love the filling!
  8. Kathryn March 15, 2012 at 2:21 pm #
    Hmm...I dunno...he has a bit of a weird mouth thing going on.
  9. DessertForTwo March 15, 2012 at 2:27 pm #
    I want to be all wrapped up in a cruciferous cradle right now.
  10. Jaden March 15, 2012 at 2:38 pm #
    me loves moroccan anything!
  11. Averie @ Averie Cooks March 15, 2012 at 3:30 pm #
    I've always wanted to go to Morocco. I guess these are a good start.
  12. Katie March 15, 2012 at 4:22 pm #
    You make me wish I had TV - I might have to pick up a little American Idol Phillip Phillips Action over the internets. I also wish I could get some stuffed cabbage mo rocca(n) action through this danged computer.
  13. Jennifer | Mother Thyme March 15, 2012 at 4:49 pm #
    I love cabbage rolls and these beat my boring same old same old version. Definitely got to try! Love your picture of Phillip Phillips, lol! He is so darn cute. He reminds me of Dave Matthews when he sings.
  14. Katie @ Epicurean Mom March 15, 2012 at 5:38 pm #
    I adore the sweetness in this recipe! The cranberries are genius!
  15. Deanna B. March 15, 2012 at 6:54 pm #
    I love cabbage. And I don't make cabbage rolls nearly often enough. The Moroccan twist is pretty brilliant.
  16. Megan (Braise The Roof) March 15, 2012 at 7:40 pm #
    I love how timely these are, being cabbage rolls and St Patty's Day is coming up and then WHAM you went and made them Moroccan. They look yummy!
  17. Margarita March 15, 2012 at 8:45 pm #
    I absolutely love cabbage rolls! These are beyond delicious... Love all the spices and all the fillings! Extremely healthy too! All this production definitely requires some wine for the energy boost.
  18. shelly (cookies and cups) March 15, 2012 at 9:01 pm #
    Dude, you're gonna have to fight me for Phillip Phillips. Or maybe you could just pay me off with some of these Cabbage Rolls. You choose ;)
  19. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar March 15, 2012 at 9:19 pm #
    Mmm I love a good cabbage roll!
  20. Katie March 16, 2012 at 11:26 am #
    I only making traditional Polish style cabbage rolls, and I'm loving the twist! I love Moroccan food so I might just need to try these stat! Hope your bf is feeling better.
  21. Natalie @ Cooking for My Kids March 17, 2012 at 2:10 am #
    You are so funny. Why, yes, I did see your boyfriend perform, and we are rooting for him all the way. Because of his talent, of course. :) I am behind on blog reading because it has been family fun week. But, I was having some Bev withdrawals, so I had to read your last two posts before some TV time with my sweet husband. Oh, yes, and these cabbage rolls look awesome!
  22. Deborah March 18, 2012 at 12:04 am #
    Now every time I watch AI, I'm going to imagine you in front of the tv with puppy dog eyes, singing right along. :) These cabbage rolls look amazing!
  23. Nisha April 11, 2013 at 9:14 pm #
    came here searching for cabbage rolls, but was looking for vegetarian ones. however, enjoyed reading your write up ... creative, haha! :D

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Lentils / Wine Tasting Revision | Eat with Namie - November 12, 2013 […] but all eastern European countries have it one way or another. Turkish dolma is one variation and Morrocan stuffed cabbage, stuffed with rice or a mixture of rice and minced meat, is another example, and also there is the […]
  2. Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Lentils / Wine Tasting Revision | Eatwithmeİstanbul - April 14, 2014 […] but all eastern European countries have it one way or another. Turkish dolma is one variation and Morrocan stuffed cabbage, stuffed with rice or a mixture of rice and minced meat, is another example, and also there is the […]

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