Vegetarian cabbage rolls with chickpeas, lentils and beans
12 servings
180 minutes
Vegetarian cabbage rolls with chickpeas, lentils, and beans are a refined dish that combines traditional motifs with a modern view on healthy eating. Originating from Eastern European cuisine, these rolls are presented in Italian style with a rich bean filling and aromatic spices. The combination of bulgur, lentils, chickpeas, and beans creates a tender texture with a light nutty note, while apples and sauerkraut add pleasant acidity and juiciness. Tomatoes with oregano highlight the Mediterranean character of the dish, making it rich and warming. These cabbage rolls are perfect for family lunches or festive dinners, especially when served with sour cream and fresh herbs. This is not just a dish but a true culinary journey that unites traditions and new flavor dimensions.
1
Put a head of cabbage to boil, like for regular stuffed cabbage. Everyone has different techniques, so I won't elaborate ))
- White cabbage: 1 piece
2
Pre-cook chickpeas, beans, and lentils
- Red beans: 0.5 glass
- Chickpeas: 0.5 glass
- Lentils: 0.5 glass
3
Preparing the filling: melt butter in a pan (can be replaced with vegetable oil), add finely chopped onion. Then squeeze in garlic and sauté a bit more. Add bulgur (can be replaced with cooked rice, buckwheat, pearl barley, or other grains of choice) to the sautéed onion. Mix everything well so that each grain is coated with oil.
- Butter: 50 g
- Onion: 1 head
- Garlic: 2 cloves
- Bulgur: 0.5 glass
4
When the bulgur is browned, add the cooked lentils, chickpeas, and beans to the pan and mix well. Season the mixture with tomato sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, oregano (and other spices to taste). If the bulgur is not swollen enough and the mixture is thick, you can add water and continue to simmer.
- Red beans: 0.5 glass
- Chickpeas: 0.5 glass
- Lentils: 0.5 glass
- Tomato sauce: 250 g
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Sugar: to taste
- Dried oregano: to taste
5
Preparation of the filling: while the filling is simmering, peel the apples, remove the core, cut them into quarters and slice each quarter.
- Apple: 3 pieces
6
We wrap the filling in a cabbage leaf. If the stem is too hard, you can cut off the top or gently pound it. You can lightly fry the cabbage rolls in a pan until golden brown or place them directly in a pot.
7
Layer: place a layer of sauerkraut, sprinkle a little apple on top, tightly pack one layer of cabbage rolls, then again sauerkraut and apples. Repeat until the cabbage rolls are finished. Cover the top layer with sauerkraut and apples. For more juiciness and rich flavor, pour spicy water over the cabbage rolls (it can be mixed with the oil used for frying the rolls or simply by adding salt, pepper, and spices to water).
- Sauerkraut: 400 g
- Apple: 3 pieces
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Dried oregano: to taste
- Butter: 50 g
8
Cook for 45 minutes in the oven or on low heat with a lid.
9
Serve the stuffed cabbage with sour cream and fresh herbs. Enjoy your meal!