This recipe comes courtesy of my friend’s mother. It’s “unstuffed” cabbage because it contains all the ingredients of the stuffed variety, but the meat is formed into meatballs, which cook in the sauce along with sliced cabbage. This is a very simple dinner that pairs well with crusty bread and with lots of different herbs, if you’re into seasonings.

Mix the other meatball ingredients before you add the meat

Use your hands to mix the ground meat in

Make walnut-sized balls

Chop the end off your cabbage

Cut the cabbage into one-inch roundels

If some core is present in a roundel, cut around it

Cut several 3- or 4-inch-long chunks from each roundel

Voilà cabbage!

Bring the tomato mixture to a boil

Add the cabbage to the boiling tomato mixture

Place the meatballs on top of the cabbage

Meatballs, hanging out!

Cover and cook until the meatballs set

Then stir and place the sauce and cabbage on top of the meatballs, cover, and cook again

Unstuffed Cabbage

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