This classic was my grandmother’s specialty, which we called kappusta in Hungarian. Sadly, she is no longer with us, but now I lovingly carry on her heritage and make this for my family every year.

Yield: approximately 20 servings

Ingredients:

1 large head of cabbage

Meat:

1¼ cups cooked riced

1 egg

2.5 lb. ground beef

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

1 small onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Sauce:

24 oz. crushed tomatoes

8 oz. tomato sauce

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Directions:

To soften the leaves, place the head of cabbage in the freezer for at least 24–48 hours, the longer the better.

Defrost completely.

Remove the outer 4–6 layers and discard. Carefully separate each of the rest of the leaves, being careful not to rip it.

In a bowl, combine all meat mixture ingredients.

Place a small handful of the meat mixture in the center of each cabbage leaf. Fold the sides and roll up.

Place in a pan or oven-to-table dish.

In a bowl, mix all sauce ingredients. Pour over stuffed cabbage.

Cover tightly and bake at 350°F for 2 hours or 200°F for 8 hours for a deeper flavor.

Tip: If you have extra meat or cabbage, you can crumble it into the sauce to makes it thicker and more tasty.

Tip: I like to make multiple of these in smaller pans and take them out as needed per meal.