Cabbage Roll Casserole

Name: Cabbage Roll Casserole
Yield: 6–8 servings
Ingredients: 1 large bunch dill; 3 large garlic cloves; 1½ lb. ground beef or plant-based meat; 3 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided; ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper; 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for pan; 1 large onion; ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes; ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon; 1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes; 1 large head of savoy or green cabbage; 1¼ cups long-grain rice (such as basmati); 1 lemon; 8 oz. crème fraîche; 8 oz. low-moisture mozzarella

All the flavors of Eastern European cabbage rolls, but without the rolling.

By Asha Loupy

February 14, 2021

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Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Pearl Jones

This super-cozy bake from recipe developer Asha Loupy is inspired by classic Eastern European cabbage rolls but takes a leaf—or a layer, if you will—out of the lasagna handbook. Blanched cabbage leaves are stacked with spiced beef ragù and lemony herbed rice for a casserole that's chock-full of all the flavors of cabbage rolls, without the rolling. Asha has two tricks for the perfect cabbage roll casserole (no mushy rice or soggy bottoms here!). First, reduce the tomatoes until they reach a thick, almost paste-like consistency. This ensures that you'll get neat slices, without a runny, liquidy sauce. Second, parboil the rice (as you would for tahdig or biryani) and sprinkle it lightly between the layers. This gives the grains room to cook to fluffy perfection while baking.