Stuffed Cabbage Wraps with Tahini Sauce
A Low-Carb and Fodmap-Friendly filling of Lamb, Pine Nut, Feta, and Mint but you can stuff 'em with whatever you got.
Equipment
- Baking Dish
- Microwave, optional
- Mortar and Pestle or Spice Grinder, optional
Ingredients
For the Filling – See Notes on How to Substitute
- 1 pound Ground Lamb, grass-fed
- 1 egg
- 1.5 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Chili Flakes
- 1/4 Cup Feta Cheese
- 1/4 Cup Pine Nuts, toasted and roughly ground or chopped
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Mint Leaves, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
For the Wraps
- 1 Head Green Cabbage, smaller is better for this recipe
- 1 Tbs Olive Oil
- Smoked Paprika
- Salt
- Pepper
For the Sauce
- 1/4 cup Tahini
- 3 Tbs Lemon Juice, roughly juice of one whole lemon
- 1 Tbs Wheat-Free Tamari, or similar
- 1 Tbs Water, or more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Find any baking dish in the 9×9" size range. An oven-safe skillet or a pie plate will work, too. Too small is better than too big but any size will work.
- Cut the bottom 1/2 to 1/3 off of the head of your cabbage, depending on how big it is. Ideally you want to end up with leaves roughly 5-7" in diameter.The top part of the cabbage is easiest to use for wraps, as the thickest parts of the stems are in the bottom halves of the leaves. Save the bottom for another recipe!
- The leaves separate best if they are softened a little by steaming. Raw leaves rip and will drive you crazy.Put the top of the cabbage in a microwave-save bowl, cut side down, with a couple tablespoons of water. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. This cooks the leaves JUST enough to make them flexible without over-cooking them.Once the cabbage is cool enough to handle, peel apart the leaves. You'll need around 16 for this recipe.
- Add all filling ingredients to a bowl. Mix gently to combine.
- Begin filling the cabbage leaves with 2-3 Tbs of filling each, wrapping them up like little envelopes. I find it easiest to keep the stem horizontal as shown here. You may need to break it a little to get it to fold.
- They don't need to be perfect! Fit them all snugly into a baking dish–just cram them in there. Their neighbors will help them hold their shape.
- Drizzle olive oil over the top, and season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes at 400°F. Move to the broiler for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- While baking, whisk all the tahini sauce ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Serve hot cabbage wraps with a drizzle of tahini and some fresh mint.
Notes
TURN ANY MEATBALL RECIPE INTO CABBAGE WRAPS Don’t have a favorite meatball recipe? Want to substitute ingredients you have on hand? Everything you need to know is in my meatball post! The bottom of the page has a basic meatball template that you can use as a guide to make your own recipe with all your favorite stuff.