Cabbage-Wrapped Ground Beef Enchilada Bake

Cabbage is in season pretty much all year round, and that's one of the many reasons why it's such a versatile ingredient. On top of that, cabbage leaves are so large that they lend themselves well to being stuffed with delicious fillings. Keeping that in mind, we've decided to modify one of our favorite Tex-Mex foods, the enchilada, and bring in the cabbage! This low-carb alternative to the traditional enchilada uses delicious, nutritious cabbage leaves instead of tortillas to encase a tangy ground beef and black bean filling. These cabbage-wrapped enchiladas all get arranged in a gorgeous spiral pattern in a springform pan, covered in tomato sauce and cheese, and baked together in the oven to sizzling perfection. Now that's a whole lotta enchilada!  

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty Level: Moderate

You'll Need:

For the cabbage wraps:

  • 14 savoy cabbage leaves

For the ground beef filling: 

  • vegetable oil for frying
  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 bell peppers, diced
  • 1½ cups corn

For the black bean filling:

  • 2 cups cooked black beans
  • ⅓ cup vegetable broth
  • salt & pepper to taste

For the topping:

  • ¾ cup tomato sauce
  • 2 cups grated white cheddar
  • chopped parsley + sour cream to garnish

Here's How:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. For the cabbage wraps, cook the savoy cabbage leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes and set aside for later.

2. For the ground beef filling, heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a skillet and fry the ground beef, minced garlic, and diced onion until the ground beef is cooked all the way through, then season the mixture with salt and pepper.

3. For the black bean filling, wash and drain the black beans, then use a hand blender to combine the black beans and vegetable broth. Once the mixture is smooth and creamy, season with salt and pepper.

4. To assemble the cabbage-wrapped enchiladas, spoon 2 tablespoons of black bean filling and 4 tablespoons of ground beef onto the center of 1 cabbage leaf. Sprinkle some diced bell pepper and corn on top of the black bean and ground beef filling.

5. Roll the stuffed cabbage leaves up into snug logs and transfer half of the cabbage rolls to the springform pan, arranging them in a tight spiral pattern.

6. Spoon half of the tomato sauce onto the first layer of cabbage-wrapped enchiladas and grate half of the cheddar cheese on top.

7. Add a second layer of cabbage-wrapped enchiladas on top of the layer of cheese, arranging them in a spiral pattern once again. Cover the second layer of enchiladas with the remainder of the tomato sauce and cheddar cheese.

8. Transfer the springform pan to the oven and bake the cabbage-wrapped enchiladas at 350°F for 30 minutes. Garnish the baked cabbage-wrapped ground beef enchiladas with chopped parsley and sour cream.

Cabbage leaves, black beans, and ground beef work together particularly well in this cabbage-wrapped enchilada bake. It's a fun and original way to use cabbage that you'll be glad you gave a try!

Get the recipe for the Stuffed Savoy Cabbage featured in the bonus video.

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