Cabbage Flower Cups Filled With Cheesy Meatballs
We love cabbage and we love ground beef, but what we love most of all is the 2 of them together! This recipe for homemade meatballs stuffed with ooey, gooey cheese and wrapped in delicate, delicious cabbage leaves is the perfect way to put 2 and 2 together! Our cabbage flower cups don't just taste great, they're also a fun way to serve a well-balanced meal for the whole family. And did we mention how stunning they look served up on a bed of creamy homemade tomato sauce? These cabbage flower cups are the ideal quick & easy meal that will make your taste buds blossom with flavor!
Yield: 6
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
You'll Need:
For the cabbage flower cups:
- 1 head of savoy cabbage
- shredded cheese
For the cheesy meatballs:
- 1½ lbs ground beef
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 egg
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tbsp bread crumbs
- 6 oz cheese, cubed
- salt & pepper to taste
For the tomato sauce:
- 1 onion, diced
- 1⅔ cups tomato puree
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- salt & pepper to taste
- vegetable oil
Here's How:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a muffin pan. For the cabbage flower cups, boil the head of savoy cabbage until the leaves start to separate from the core. Remove the cabbage from the boiling water and submerge it in ice-cold water so that it retains its green color. Dab the cooled cabbage with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
2. For the cheesy meatballs, combine the ground beef, chopped parsley, egg, diced onion, and bread crumbs. Form 6 round patties out of the ground beef mixture and place 1 cube of cheese in the center of each one. Press the ground beef mixture over the cube of cheese, sealing it in the center, and roll each one up into a ball.
3. Place 1 large blanched cabbage leaf on top of each well in the muffin pan and press 1 cheese-stuffed meatball on top of each cabbage leaf, filling the wells.
4. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the cabbage flower cups, transfer the muffin pan to the oven, and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. To prevent the cabbage leaves from browning, cover the muffin pan with aluminum foil before placing it in the oven.
5. For the creamy tomato sauce, sweat the diced onion in a small amount of vegetable oil, then add the tomato puree, salt & pepper to the skillet or saucepan. Let the sauce simmer briefly, then add in the heavy cream and stir until combined.
To serve these gorgeous cabbage flower cups, spoon a thick layer of creamy tomato sauce into a shallow bowl and place freshly baked cabbage flower cup on top. Meatballs and cabbage really are the perfect pair!
Get the recipe for the White Cabbage Stuffed With Ground Beef featured in the bonus video.