10/25/2026
🥬🍅 HARD TIMES RECIPES – OLD-FASHIONED UNSTUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS! 🍅🥬
❤️ Good food doesn't have to cost a fortune!
With beef prices so high these days, we're bringing back another delicious, budget-friendly meal that reminds us of simpler times!
📖 A Little History
Cabbage rolls have their roots in Eastern European cooking and became a familiar comfort food in Canadian homes through generations of immigrant families.
During difficult economic times, cabbage, rice, and potatoes were kitchen staples because they were affordable, filling, and could feed a large family. Meat was often used sparingly, just enough to add flavour.
Traditional cabbage rolls took time to prepare, but this unstuffed version gives you all that wonderful homemade flavour without the extra work!
🍲 OLD-FASHIONED UNSTUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS
Serves 6 | Ready in about 50 minutes
🛒 Ingredients:
1 lb ground pork
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 large can (796 mL) diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth or water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
👩🍳 Directions:
Brown the ground pork and onion in a large pot. Drain excess fat if needed.
Add garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook another minute.
Stir in the chopped cabbage and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the uncooked rice, diced tomatoes with their juices, broth, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar.
Cover and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender. Add extra water if necessary.
Adjust seasonings and serve hot!
💰 HARD TIMES MONEY-SAVING TIP!
Want to stretch your grocery dollars even further? Use just ½ lb of ground pork and add another ½ cup of rice with about ¾ cup of additional water. You'll still have a hearty, delicious meal that feeds the family!
❤️ Sometimes the best meals aren't the expensive ones. They're the simple, homemade dishes that bring everyone around the table.
Here at Sam's Grocery in Canning, we believe good, wholesome meals should still be affordable.
💬 Did your mother or grandmother make cabbage rolls? What was her secret ingredient? We'd love to hear your memories!
