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Turkish Cabbage Rolls and Tuscan White Bean Soup

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 1468kcal

Ingredients

Turkish Cabbage Rolls:

  • 1/4 cup Bulgur Wheat
  • 1 head Green cabbage
  • 2 TBSP Vegetable oil
  • 1 cup Onion diced
  • 4 cloves Garlic rough chopped
  • 14 oz Crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • ½ tsp Ground cumin
  • ½ tsp Cinnamon
  • ½ tsp Allspice
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 cup Chicken broth
  • 8 oz Ground lamb
  • 2 cloves Garlic finely minced
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 2 tsp Ground cumin
  • 1 tsp Dried oregano
  • 1 tsp Ground coriander
  • ½ tsp Cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp Ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup Pine nuts or slivered almonds
  • ¼ cup Dried apricots chopped
  • 2 TBSP Fresh parsley

Tuscan White Bean Soup:

  • 1 TBSP Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Pancetta or bacon chopped
  • 1 cup Onions diced
  • 1/2 cup Carrots diced
  • 1/2 cup Celery diced
  • 4 cloves Garlic rough chopped
  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper
  • ¼ tsp Red pepper flakes more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp Salt plus more to taste
  • 7 oz Canned diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup Lacinato kale chopped
  • 3 cup Chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup Cannellini beans rinsed
  • 2 TBSP Fresh parsley

Bread:

  • 2 slices Crusty bread
  • Butter optional

Mojito Mocktail

  • 8 leaves Fresh mint
  • 2 TBSP Sugar (adjust to taste)
  • ¼ cup Lime juice fresh squeezed
  • 24 oz Sparkling water or soda water
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Turkish Cabbage Rolls:

  • Soak bulgur wheat in a bowl of cool water for 20 minutes.
  • Blanch Cabbage: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cabbage and blanch until tender, about 6 minutes. Cool and carefully remove the leaves.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
  • Make the Turkish Tomato Sauce: In a large sauté pan, over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in oil until tender (3-4 minutes). Lower heat to medium, add garlic, sauté for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and broth. Stir, bring to a simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off heat.
  • Place a thin layer of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.
  • Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine lamb, drained bulgur wheat, garlic, Turkish tomato sauce (¼ cup per serving), salt, cumin, dried oregano, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, pine nuts, and dried apricots. Mix well.
  • Assemble the Cabbage Rolls: Lay out the blanched cabbage leafs; cut the thick vein out of the bottom end. Fill with 1/3 cup of lamb filling and roll up like a burrito, tucking edges in, and place seam side down in the sauced baking dish. Repeat.
  • Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the top. Shake the pan to distribute the sauce. Cover with parchment paper and tightly with foil (or a lid). Bake for 1 hour.
  • Remove from the oven; garnish with fresh parsley.

Tuscan White Bean Soup:

  • In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and optional pancetta; sauté for 6-8 minutes.
  • Lower heat to medium-low and add carrots, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cook another 7-9 minutes until vegetables are tender.
  • Add tomatoes and lacinato kale. Continue sautéing and stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes.
  • Add the broth and beans. Bring to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Stir in parsley. Adjust salt if necessary. Serve in bowls with grated Parmesan (or Romano), and crusty bread.

Mojito Mocktail:

  • In a glass, muddle the fresh mint leaves with sugar and lime juice until the leaves are fragrant and the sugar has dissolved.
  • Fill the glass with crushed ice optional.
  • Top off with sparkling water or soda water.
  • Garnish with lime slices and mint sprigs.
  • Serve the cabbage rolls with white bean soup, bread, and mojito mocktail.

Nutrition

Calories: 1468kcal | Carbohydrates: 162g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 74g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 6384mg | Potassium: 3338mg | Fiber: 32g | Sugar: 64g | Vitamin A: 8949IU | Vitamin C: 243mg | Calcium: 606mg | Iron: 18mg