Nashville Food Project's Beef Stuffed Collard Rolls

November 2, 2017

This recipe comes from volunteer cook Ann Fundis and The Nashville Food Project’s Operations Manager Anne Sale. Using collards in place of cabbage, gives this decidedly Hungarian dish a Southern twist. This recipe also appears in the cookbook Nashville Eats (Abrams, 2015). You can use turnip greens or kale in place of the collard greens as well.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cups cooked rice

2 cups cooked ground beef

⅓ cup raisins or dried cranberries

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 pounds (910 g) fresh tomatoes or 1 (28-ounce/794-g) can whole tomatoes

3 ounces tomato paste

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Kosher salt and black pepper

18 collard leaves (about 2 bunches)

1 tablespoon salt

Preparation

Filling:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add rice, beef, and raisins. Cook on medium-low until the mixture is combined and warmed through.

Sauce:

2. Heat the oil in large skillet. Add onion and sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for a minute longer. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, cinnamon, sugar and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Collards:

3. Place the collards in a large stockpot and cover them with water. Add salt. Bring the water to boil and cook for 10 minutes until the greens are soft. Drain and reserve.

Assemble the rolls:

4. Preheat oven to 350F. Lay collard leaf on a cutting board and trim the thick stem to make it flat. Place two heaping spoonfuls of stuffing on the leaf and roll up burrito-style by bringing left and right sides in first, then top and bottom edges. Place the filled roll, seam side down, in a casserole dish. Repeat with remaining collard leaves and filling. Spoon the sauce over the collard rolls. Bake for about 45 minutes.