Vegan Cabbage Rolls with Lentils & Brown Rice

Cabbage rolls made with a vegan twist: steamed cabbage stuffed with hearty lentils and brown rice, mushroom, onion, fresh garlic, celery, and tomatoes. Then, smothered with a creamy tomato sauce and baked to perfection. This recipe is easy to make, relatively cheap, and will leave you with some leftovers great for lunches.

You’ll Need:

• 1 head bok choy cabbage steamed
• 2 small tomato diced
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 2 cup mushroom sliced
• 1 cup brown rice cooked
• 1 cup lentils cooked
• 1 onion chopped
• 650 mL tomato sauce divided
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring water and rice to a boil. Add a pinch of salt to prevent the rice from sticking. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to a simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the water has all been absorbed.
2. In a small saucepan bring lentils and 2 cups of water to a boil, over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
3. Dice the tomatoes. Chop the celery. Slice the mushroom. Then, add all the cut veggies to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
4. Heat olive oil in medium frying pan over low-medium heat. When hot, add chopped onions and minced garlic. Cook for 5-10 minutes until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.
5. Add onions to the large mixing bowl, stir all the ingredients together. Set aside.
6. Cut about 1/4" off the bottom of the cabbage. Place the whole head of cabbage into boiling water for about 3 minutes. Peel the softened leaves off the cabbage. Repeat until all the larger leaves easily come off.
7. Combine the rice and lentils to the large mixing bowl of veggies. Set aside.
8. Preheat oven to 350° F.
9. Add about 1 cup of tomato sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish. Set aside.
10. Lay the cabbage leaf flat on a cutting board. Add about two large spoon fulls to the center of the cabbage. Fold in both sides over the filling, then roll the cabbage up. Place seam side down in the casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining leaves.
11. If there is leftover filling you can stuff it around the cabbage rolls, then spread the remaining tomato sauce over top of the cabbage rolls.
12. Cover, and let cook for 70 minutes.