Healthy comfort food! An easy and satisfying vegetarian casserole the whole family will love. Love in overall calories and full of healthy vegetables and plant-based proteins. See Notes for plant-based protein options.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr
Total Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Course: freezer-friendly, Main Course
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Keyword: cabbage
Servings: 8servings
Calories: 253kcal
Author: Trish | The In Fine Balance Food Blog
Ingredients
Tomato and rice filling
2ozplant-based crumblessee below for alternatives
.75cupmushroom brothto hydrate plant-based crumbles, see below for notes
2cupscooked riceI used a combination of white and brown cooked rice
In a large saucepan, warm ¾ mushroom stock until just steaming. Remove from heat and stir in 2 oz of plant-based crumbles. Let sit 5 minutes while you shred cabbage.Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
In a large saute pan or other wide bottom pot, cook onions and celery in olive with thyme and paprika until softened, about 7 minutes. Add soy sauce, worchestureshire sauce, red wine vinegar and as much cabbage as can comfortably fit in the pot. Saute cabbage until tender, about 5 minutes. You may need to add the cabbage in batches dependinb on the size of your saute pan. Add 1-2 tablespoons of mushroom broth as needed to deglaze pot while sauteing the cabbage. If you do need to cook the cabbage in batches, be sure to toss all the cabbage together to mix and distribute the flavours of onions, celery, and spices.
To the plant-based crumble mixture, add tomato sauce, diced tomates and place over medium heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cooked rice. Set aside.
In a small bowl combine 2 cups Italian style shredded cheese blend, ¼ cup milk or cream, 1 large egg and ½ teaspoon of dried thyme. Set aside.
In prepared casserole layer half of the cabbage on the bottom of the casserole dish. Spread half of the tomato and rice filling over the cabbage. Repeat with the remaining cabbage and tomato and rice filling. Cover tightly with foil
Bake at 375 degrees, covered, for 30-40 minutes until bubbly and hot throughout. Remove from oven and remove foil. Top with cheese mixture and bake, uncovered, for another 20-25 minutes. Cheese should be melted and browned on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Serve
Notes
I used Longeve brand plant-based protein crumbles you can substitute 2 cups of cooked brown lentils in its place for a whole-foods, inexpensive alternative. You may need to adjust the seasonings as the plant-based protein crumbles were rehydrated with mushroom stock. If you use lentils or another meat alternative you will not need the mushroom stock.Nutritional information is an estimate only and will change if substitutions are made.To prepare the Longeve plant-based protein crumbles, I used 1-½ cups, or 2 oz, dry Longeve crumbles with ¾ cup hot mushroom broth. This makes approximately 2 cups of prepared crumbles. See post for instructions for assembling ahead (baking later) and freezing the finished casserole.