Vegan version of the stuffed cabbage. This one uses Red Cabbage. It has Brown rice, Mini Sweet Peppers, Peas, Okra, Onions and Zucchini. St. Patrick’s Day.
Red Cabbage is my favorite cabbage, so, I decided to make stuffed cabbage out of it.
It is definitely hard to work with, but, it always pays off in the end. I have made red cabbage pizza before and it was very delicious.
Also I had a red cabbage salad a while back. It had a simple yogurt dressing and I loved eating it more than making it.
Irish food has some vegetarian options, so, I decided to explore some options. Instead of going with the usual stews and mashed potato recipes, I thought cabbage recipe would be a great idea.
For this stuffed cabbage recipe, I went with brown rice. It is denser and healthier than any white rice.
Adding dried Shitake mushrooms to the stuffing was a last minute thought and it definitely paid off. Of course, I had to include my obsession into this recipe. The mini sweet peppers are my favorite vegetable in the world. They added a sweetness and a tangy flavor to the stuffed cabbage.
I had some leftover okra from my vegetarian gumbo recipe and thought it would be a great idea to include them into the stuffing. Mine were frozen okra, but, feel free to use fresh okra.
Steaming the cabbage is an adventurous undertaking. For the easiest way, I have found that food.com’s method works best. Adding the whole cabbage to boiling water is a great way to loosen the leaves. Once the leaves come off, stuffing them is a piece of cake.
The tomato sauce is homemade, but, you could use your favorite marinara sauce. It does taste better with a sauce base. I want to experiment with white pasta sauce like Alfredo.
Be sure to check out other ingredients you can add to the stuffing. What stuffing do you like to use?
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Vegan Red Stuffed Cabbage
Stuffed Cabbage for Vegans
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes from a can
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp basil dried
For the Stuffing
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup peas frozen or fresh
- 1/4 cup okra frozen or fresh
- 10 Shiitake Mushrooms dried
- 1/4 cup red onions chopped
- 1/2 zucchini
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp parsley dried
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1/2 cup brown rice cooked
For the cabage
- 1 red cabbage the smallest you can find
- water Enough water to submerge the whole cabbage
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
To boil the cabbage
- Bring water to a boil
- While water is boiling, remove the outer leaves of the cabbage that may be damaged
- Stick a for in the core of the cabbage then stick a knife in the hole
- Keep the cabbage in the boiling water until the outer leaves start separating
- The leaves will come off easily, but, be gentle. You plastic tongs
- Lay the cabbage leaves on a paper towel over a plate
- You will get about 20-25 leaves.
- You can choose to remove the stems using a pair of scissors or keep the leaf whole
For the Sauce
- In a medium pan, add the oil and heat for about 15 seconds
- Add the garlic
- Add the tomato paces and the fresh tomatoes
- Stir well
- After about 5 minutes, add the canned diced tomatoes
- Add all the salt and basil and allow to simmer for about 6 more minutes
- Turn off the heat and set the sauce aside
For the stuffing
- In a medium pan, add the oil and allow to heat for about 15 seconds.
- Add all the vegetables
- Stir well
- Add the spices and salt
- Let it cook until the okra are well done. Be sure to keep stirring (About 8 minutes).
- Add the brown rice and stir well
Assembling the stuffed cabbage
- In each cabbage leaf, add about 1-2 tsp of the stuffing
- Fold the leaf by starting with the bottom over the stuffing
- Fold the sides
- Start rolling the cabbage upwards, making sure that the stuffing remains tight
- Place the rolled cabbage leaf in a casserole dish
- Continue until all the leaves are stuffed or you are out of stuffing
- Gently pour the sauce over the stuffed cabbage
- Place the casserole dish in the oven and allow to bake for about 15 minutes
- Remove and serve the stuffed cabbage as a side dish or main meal
- Other ingredients you can add to the stuffing
- Raisins
- Capers
- Parmesan Cheese (I like using Vegan Parmesan Cheese)
- Sweet Corn
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Potatoes (cut into tiny cubes)
Notes
I made fudge using Irish Cream. Have you tried it?
Arcee Miranda says
The food is really stunning! thanks for sharing. By the way I did copy your recipe so I can make one home 🙂
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Arcee.
Susan | LunaCafe says
Wow, this is one loaded stuffed cabbage. Nice! 🙂
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Susan
[email protected] says
These stuffed cabbage look healthy and delicious, I will definitely be making them.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Michelle.
Alisa @ Go Dairy Free says
The dish is so stunning (love the purple / red contrast) and simplistic looking, it is hard to believe how many amazing veggies are packed in there!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Alisa
Jenny (VintageSugarcube) says
First off I want to tell you that those photos are fabulous and pop’n. Even though I’m not vegan I love to incorporate at least 1-2 vegan meals in each week. The recipe sounds fantastic and I looove the idea of the natural blue dye. I also always use the red cabbage in lieu of the white. Have a great week.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Jenny
[email protected] says
I love that you discovered natural blue food coloring from this. I agree with using red cabbage because it made for a stunning dish.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Janette.