Lazy Pigs in a Blanket

Lazy pigs in a blanket is the casserole answer to traditional stuffed cabbage rolls. The stuffed-cabbage flavor profile (Eastern European holupki or golabki) is all there: ground beef, rice, onion, cabbage, and a tangy tomato sauce. The work, however, is cut in half. Instead of par-boiling cabbage leaves and rolling each one around a meat filling, you simply layer everything in a baking dish and let the oven do all the convincing.

Using partially-cooked rice is the smart choice here. Fully cooked rice would turn to mush during the long bake; raw rice would absorb too much liquid and leave the casserole dry. Partially cooked, the rice finishes in the dish, drinking up the tomato soup and beef juices to become tender and flavorful.

A full hour at 375F (190C) is enough to soften the cabbage to silken submission while the meat layer cooks through and binds the dish together.

Pro Tips

• Shred the cabbage thin. Thick chunks won’t soften enough in an hour.
• Don’t oversalt the meat mixture. The tomato soup brings its own salt level.
• Let the casserole rest 10 minutes after baking. Fresh from the oven it’s loose; rested it slices cleanly.
• Use a glass or ceramic dish over metal. Glass distributes heat more gently for even cooking.

Variations

• Swap ground beef for half ground pork and half beef for a more traditional Eastern European flavor.
• Add a pinch of caraway seeds and a teaspoon of paprika to the meat mixture for a Polish or Hungarian slant.
• Top with grated cheese in the last 10 minutes for a melty cheese cap.