Turkey Cabbage Casserole

I thought that this wouldn't have much flavor but I was WRONG. Yum.

Since it bakes after everything is cooked for ~45 minutes this takes a while but most of it is hands-off work.

FINNISH CABBAGE CASSEROLE

• Author: Katja from Savory Lotus
 
•  Prep Time: 20 min
 
•  Cook Time: 50 min
 
•  Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
 
•  Yield: ~6 servings 1x
• • 
    

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice (like this OR like this) *recipe called for 1/2 cup of white, but I just added until it looked right
• 2 tbsp butter, ghee, or coconut oil – divided *recipe called for 3 but I think 1 tablespoon each of butter would be fine
• 1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey or ground bison) *I used ground Turkey
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• one cabbage (about 2 pounds), sliced and chopped
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (like this) *I didn't use this
• pepper, to taste
• 1 and 3/4 cup good quality broth (beef, chicken, or veggie)

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook rice as you usually would.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400’F.  Grease a 12 inch cast iron skillet and set aside. (*see note)
Melt 1 tablespoon fat of choice in a skillet and add beef, onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Cook until meat is completely browned.

In another large pot, melt remaining 2 tablespoon of fat over medium heat.  Add chopped cabbage and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook covered until soft, stirring occasionally – about 8-10 minutes.  Turn down heat if cabbage is sticking to pot or add a tablespoon of water.

Once cabbage is done, turn off heat and add cooked rice, meat/onion mixture, optional maple syrup, and pepper to taste. Mix to combine. Scrape into prepared skillet or baking dish. Pour broth over the casserole.

Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown on top.  (Casserole will cook faster in a cast iron skillet.  Longer cook time is for regular baking dish.) Cover with foil if top is getting overly brown.

FINNISH CABBAGE CASSEROLE COOKING TIPS:

• chop the cabbage instead of shredding it.  Many recipes call for shredded cabbage. The texture is much nicer if you chop it instead.
• saute cabbage in covered pot.  Many recipe call for boiling the cabbage in water.  I find the flavor much nicer if you cook it in a bit of fat instead.
• cook rice beforehand.  Some recipes call for uncooked rice to be added.  I find that uncooked rice tends to not soften enough for my taste.
• use a cast iron skillet.  I’m a big fan of cooking in cast iron.  The casserole will cook a bit faster and will stay warm on the dinner table. ( Any regular baking dish will do though.  You can use a 9×9 square, 9×11 rectangle or a large oval baking dish.)
• use a good quality broth.  Traditionally, this recipe calls for beef broth.  I usually use chicken broth because that’s what I have on hand.  Homemade veggie broth works as well.
• beef is traditionally used in this recipe, but you can use ground turkey or bison if that’s what you like.
• this recipe is kid-friendly.  Unless you are my Little One who HATES onions.  I will often make this recipe without the onion and use garlic-flavored ghee instead to cook with.  It’s still uh-may-zing.
• the maple syrup is TOTALLY optional, but is part of the authentic taste.  Traditionally, the recipe calls for 3 tbsp of golden syrup, which is a bit much for me.  But a tiny bit of sweet really does bring out the flavor of this dish.

Recipe from: https://www.savorylotus.com/finnish-cabbage-casserole/