I made this cabbage cake for dinner, and it had my brain in a tizzy! My eyes see cake, but my mouth tastes a delicious Italian savory meal! At least these two things are both positives! This dish is SO pretty! It looks like a deliciously layered beautiful cake.
Now, the taste…wow…with the first bite, you’re mouth is going to get punched with a blend of Italian flavors like basil, oregano, parsley, and the like, and those flavors along with the MANY veggies and lamb in here make for the PERFECT combination. This is seriously one of my new favorites. It takes a little bit of work, but boy is it worth it! YUMMERS!
So, like I said, this dish has SO many veggies in it! There’s the obvious: cabbage. But there’s also purple cauliflower, white onion, red onion, garlic, carrots, pumpkin, fresh basil, and parsley. Ummm…can you say health benefits? This meal is packed with them!
HEALTH BENEFITS OF CABBAGE
- Packed with fiber
- Helps lower cholesterol
- Powerful immune booster
- Helps to relieve hypertension
- Strongly anti-inflammatory
- Helps prevent various forms of cancer
- Great for the skeletal system
HEALTH BENEFITS OF CARROTS
- Great for eye health
- Combats cardiovascular disease
- Improves oral health
- Helps protect the liver
- May prevent stroke
- Promotes a healthy digestive system
- Helps regulate blood sugar levels
HEALTH BENEFITS OF CAULIFLOWER
- Keeps your digestive tract healthy
- Reduces bad cholesterol
- Protects the skeletal system
- Excellent for immunity
- Natural diuretic
- Strongly anti-inflammatory
- Nutrient dense
HEALTH BENEFITS OF ONIONS
- Aids in detoxing metals and parasites
- Assists in soothing respiratory issues
- Prevents muscle spasms
- Great for healthy digestion
- Helps prevent various types of cancer
- Antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties
- Good for brain health
Now, do I have your attention? So many health benefits! I love meals like this that I just love putting in my body!
Like I said, this dish takes a bit of work, but it is well worth it!
ITALIAN LAMB CABBAGE CAKE
Ingredients:
- 1 head of green cabbage
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 1 very small head purple cauliflower (enough to make 1 cup of cauliflower rice)
- 1 1/4 cup grated cheese, divided (I used a hard goat’s milk cheddar)
- 1 16oz. can pumpkin puree
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp. of each: garlic granules, dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, onion powder
- handful of chopped fresh basil
- handful of chopped fresh parsley
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp. olive oil
- sea salt, for seasoning
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Peel the leaves of your cabbage off one by one, trying to keep them as whole as possible. Place the cabbage leaves in the boiling water, and allow them to cook for 5 minutes. Promptly remove them from the water, and place on paper towel or a dish towel. Pat dry, and set aside.
2.) Cut your cauliflower into florets, and place them in the bed of a food processor. Process on high until the cauliflower has a rice like consistency. Set aside 1 cup of the processed cauliflower.
3.) In a small bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, garlic granules, dried basil, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, dried oregano, and dried parsley. Set aside.
4.) Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the ground lamb into the pan, and cook until no longer pink. Drain off any extra grease, and set the lamb aside in a bowl. Do not wash the pan.
5.) In the same pan, add the olive oil, and heat over medium heat. Add the onions, minced garlic, and shredded carrots to the pan, and cook for 5 minutes until the onions begin to sweat. Add the cup of cauliflower rice, and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender/soft. Add the lamb back in and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, and add 3/4 cup of the pumpkin puree sauce that you made (set the rest aside), 3/4 cup of the grated cheese (set the rest aside), and the fresh parsley and basil. Stir to combine. Allow to cool a bit, then add the egg and stir to combine completely.
6.) Grease a 1.5 qt. casserole dish with olive oil. Place your largest cabbage leaf on the bottom of the casserole dish. Add another few leaves on top of this, and have them go up the sides of the dish. Add a layer of your filling (about 1/2 – 3/4 of an inch thick). Top with more cabbage leaves allowing them to go up the sides. Add another layer of filling. Continue this until you run out of filling, or until you reach the top of the casserole dish. For your top layer, use cabbage leaves, and tuck them into the sides around the other cabbage leaves.
7.) Top with a bit of your pumpkin puree sauce, and a small amount of cheese. Set the rest aside for “decorating” your cake when it comes out of the oven. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
8.) When it’s done baking, let it set for 7-10 minutes, then place a plate over the top of the casserole dish, and flip the cake onto the plate. Remove the casserole dish to reveal your cabbage cake. Use a spoon to spread the rest of your pumpkin sauce over the top and sides of the cake. Top with the rest of your grated cheese.
9.) Use a sharp knife to cut into slices. Season with sea salt, and serve.
See? So pretty, so yummy, and SO good for you! Enjoy! 🙂
Loving and Laughing 