Casserolă cu varză și carne de vită și porc

Remove any wilted or damaged outer cabbage leaves, then cut out the core and chop the cabbage into small, bite-sized pieces.

Peel and chop the onions and garlic cloves.

In a pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil and cook the onions for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to brown.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, eggs, sauteed onion, salt, pepper, and chopped garlic. Mix well with your hands until everything is evenly distributed. Then add the rice and mix again.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

To assemble the casserole, spread half of the chopped cabbage in an even layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon half of the diced tomatoes (with their juice) over the cabbage.

Evenly spread the meat-rice mixture over the tomato layer and press it gently to flatten. Don’t pack it too tightly as you want some space for the juices to flow. Poke about 4-5 holes through the meat with the end of a knife, spoon or your fingers.

Place the rest of the cabbage on top of the meat-rice layer and pour the rest of the canned tomatoes on top.

Finally, pour the tomato juice evenly over the top, letting it run down to the other layers. It will look like there is too much liquid, but don’t worry, it will cook down and be absorbed by the rice.

Cover the baking dish with a lid or aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.

If you would like to add some bacon for extra flavor, remove the casserole from the oven after 45 minutes and place some bacon strips on top of the cabbage. Return the casserole to the oven and bake, covered, for another 45 minutes or until the cabbage is soft and the meat and rice are cooked. If you don’t want to add bacon, just bake the casserole for another 45 minutes, covered, until everything is done.

Allow the casserole to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.