Sweet & Savory Corned Beef Cabbage Rolls

I love St. Patrick's Day! I really did not understand the point of it until college. It is a great excuse to wear my favorite color, drink many green beverages, and watch a good ol' fashioned parade. It seems like there are never enough parades anymore. The City of Shawnee, Kansas will find about any excuse to have a parade once the weather is warm enough. Justin Timberlake brought sexy back. Shawnee is keeping parades alive and well.

While we did not go to the parade due to the weather, we did sport our green clothing and I made corned beef for the first time ever. Corned beef and cabbage is not my most favored dish, but I do love cabbage rolls. Pretty much anything instantly becomes more palatable when it involves stuffing green leafy veggies with meat or cheese. So I took two traditional meals and made them into one lucky dish. Unfortunately, the picture does not do this meal any justice. I actually Googled cabbage roll images to see how mine compared. Pretty much the same as the rest of the world. I guess you can't church up a picture of a cabbage roll.

 
Corned beef is stuffed and rolled in cabbage leaves topped with a sweet and savory sauce. Serve with a side of cauliflower mashers or mashed potatoes and you will be feeling very lucky!

Sweet and Savory Corned Beef Cabbage Rolls

1 whole cabbage, cored
1 yellow onion, finely diced
1/4 cup carrot, finely diced
1/4 cup celery, finely diced
3 cups shredded corned beef
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Fill a large soup pot with water. Bring to a boil and add the whole cabbage. Boil for 10 minutes or until the leaves begin to soften. Remove the cabbage. Let the cabbage drain and cool for another 10 minutes. Discard the water.

While the cabbage cools, heat a medium sized non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until softened. Remove from heat. Add the shredded corned beef. Stir to combine. Set aside. In a small dish, whisk together the tomato sauce, orange marmalade, and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Spray the inside of your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Remove the first 8-10 outer leaves of the cabbage. You can save the remaining cabbage for another use or discard. Fill the first leaf with 1/4 cup of the corned beef mixture. Fold in the sides of the leaf and roll like a burrito. Place seam side down in your slow cooker. repeat with the remaining leaves or until you use all of the meat mixture. Pour the tomato mixture over the cabbage rolls. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.