Cabbage rolls with venison sausage and rice

For some reason I've had the idea of making cabbage rolls in the back of my mind for several months. Perhaps it's because I love cabbage, and also love stuffing things. Or maybe I saw a great recipe a while back and it stuck in my head. Either way, I finally got around to making these.

Cabbage rolls with venison sausage and rice (adapted from My Culinary Sanctuary)

10 cabbage leaves

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 lb spicy venison bulk sausage (or seasoned ground meat of your choice)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 egg

2 cups of tomato sauce of your choice (for an extremely simple sauce, see my post on spinach gnocchi)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add cabbage leaves and cook for 3 minutes, until somewhat tender but not limp. Let cool while you prepare other ingredients. Put onion and sausage into a skillet and cook over medium heat until onion is tender and sausage is fully cooked. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in rice and egg. Fill each cabbage leaf with about 1/3 cup of sausage mix and roll up, folding sides in as you go. Spread about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish, add cabbage rolls, and top with remaining sauce. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serves 4.

These were very good. Even after eating them for the fourth time this week, I still loved them. I'm not sure why two ingredients taste better when you stuff them inside one another, but I swear that it's true. It was incredibly easy to make, and a great use for my almost endless supply of venison sausage. I have a feeling that this sausage will be making its way inside some peppers, squash, and tomatoes this summer. But, the great thing about using cabbage is that the rest of the head makes a delicious snack :)