Vegan Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

The first time I made cabbage rolls in tomato sauce was back in college, when I was trying to impress my then-boyfriend, now husband. We weren’t vegan back then, neither were the ingredients. Now that we are vegan, it has become a challenge to veganize dishes that we used to eat and bring those memories back along with it. This is why I have done my best to recreate this dish for my family.

This dish brings back happy memories and is a good way to get my daughter to eat her veggies. Though she hates carrots, she enjoys this dish. A tip for mums that have picky eaters: finely mince vegetables, incorporate them into dishes, and do it until they develop a liking for it. You can even steam these vegan lettuce wraps and enjoy them on its own!

• Cook Time: 45 min
• Serves: 4-5 people

Ingredients

For the stuffing

• 1 pack Omnipork (or your plant-based mince of choice)
• 100g homemade (or store-bought) tempeh, crumbled
• 2 med sized carrots, minced
• 3 stalks celery, minced
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk spring onion, minced
• 2 tbsp egg replacer (diluted in 4 tbsp water)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp Chinese Five-Spice Powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp rice wine
• 2 pieces bay leaf
• 200ml or 6 1/2 oz tomato sauce
• 1 cup vegetable stock

Method

1. Prepare the cabbage by cutting the core at the bottom and discarding any leaves that cannot be used.

2. Prepare about 2-3 inches of boiling water. When water is on a rolling boil, lower down the cabbage and let steam for 4-5 minutes or until leaves start peeling off from the center.

3. Remove cabbage from boiling water. Gently peel off about 6-8 pcs. of leaves from a medium-sized cabbage.

4. Mix stuffing ingredients in a bowl.

5. Scoop 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp (depends on the size of the leaf) stuffing and place it in the center of the leaf. Roll cabbage similar to rolling spring rolls. Secure both ends with a toothpick.

6. Prepare the sauce: Sauté garlic in olive oil, bay leaf, pour in rice wine. Add tomato sauce. Thin the sauce with vegetable stock.

7. Arrange cabbage rolls in the pot and let simmer for 30 minutes.