Nourishing savoy cabbage rolls with butternut squash and red lentils filling topped with a creamy white sauce. Perfect both as a starter or main.
Questa ricetta è disponibile anche in italiano.
Very healthy and super delicious recipe today!
These savoy cabbage rolls are so easy to make and they taste amazing.
Perfect as a starter or a main dish they will wow your guests or your family members (even your kids!). Alternatively, look at these Vegan Mince Stuffed Cabbage Rolls!
Nutrition wise they've got anything you can think of.
In fact, one portion (2 rolls) is packed with our daily need of vitamins B12 and B6 and features a fair amount of proteins, fibers and iron as well.
And that's not it!
With as little as a small piece of kelp seaweed in this preparation, we can tick the iodine intake box too*.
Iodine is an essential mineral for our health, especially to help both the thyroid and our metabolism work at their best.
The main plant-based source is indeed seaweed, but iodine can also be found in seeds and nuts, and a bunch of fruits (especially dried).
It is recommended for an adult to take as much as 150mg of iodine a day.
However, like everything, taking too much iodine can lead to thyroid issues, and, for this reason it must be avoided.
*it, however, varies according to the source used. To read more about this visit this site.
Did you know?
Pairing green and orange veggies (rich on vitamin C) with iron-rich foods (lentils in this case) is always a good idea.
It has been found that pairing vitamin C rich foods with iron sources increases iron absorption (over 50%), hence consuming legumes always with a bunch of greens is one of the most recommended things you could do for your health.
To oil or not to oil?
This has probably been the most-asked question lately.
Since a whole food plant based diet has been promoted, many people are switching to an oil-free lifestyle, but is it actually good for our health?
I'll be honest with you.
Even if I personally am reducing my oil intake lately and I'm introducing more oil-free recipes on this blog, I'm doing it solely to cut some extra calories after having gained some weight during my holidays in Italy (I have indulged myself too much in some good Italian food!).
However, cutting oil out completely from ones diet is a personal dietary choice.
At the moment (April 2024) it hasn't been proved yet how a oil-free diet can actually be better for our health.
It is in fact recommended to use fats (as well as added sugars) sparingly, and not to exceed 1-2 servings per day. That means that we should have from 44 to 77 grams of fat per day (based on an average 2000kcal diet).
It is true that, because of how oil is processed, it lacks nutritional benefits (it is in fact very often classified as "empty calories").
On the other hand, it is also true that a diet too low on fat can also cause issues like hair loss, constant fatigue or difficulty of focusing, mostly caused by hormonal imbalances.
I could potentially write about nutrition for ages, as it is one of the fields I'm most passionate about as an holistic therapist.
If you'd like for me to do so, please let me know it in a comment in the section below.
That been said, these are the nutritional facts if you decide to follow this recipe without oil:
Did you like this recipe? Make sure you leave me a comment on the section below or tag me on Instagram or Facebook (@avegtastefromatoz or #aVegTasteFromAtoZ ) if you make it!
Savoy Cabbage Rolls with Butternut Squash and Red Lentils Recipe
Ingredients:
...for the rolls...
½ Butternut Squash
½ cup Red Lentils
½ cup Savoy Cabbage
⅓ cup Potato Flakes
8 Savoy Cabbage Leaves
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Bay Leaves
1 Onion
1 small piece of dried Kelp
1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
1 tablespoon Olive Oil (optional)
1 teaspoon Jerk Seasoning
Salt
Pepper
...for the sauce...
250 ml Plant Based Milk (Oat)
15 gr Plain Flour
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil (optional)
Salt
1 tablespoon Sunflower Seeds (to garnish)
Method:
1. Remove 8 outer leaves from the savoy cabbage and put aside.
2. In a large pan add: olive oil, finely chopped onions, finely sliced cabbage and cubed butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes.
3. Add red lentils, bay leaves, kelp and jerk seasoning. Cover with 2 cups of water and simmer until the lentils are cooked and the squash is fork tender (20 minutes).
4. In the meantime wash and boil the cabbage leaves for 3-5 minutes in hot water. Drain well and set aside to cool down.
5. Once the red lentil mixture is cooked, turn off the heat, stir in the nutritional yeast and allow to cool completely.
6. As soon as both mixture and cabbage leaves are at room temperature we can start forming the rolls.
Remove the hard core from the cabbage leaf, arrange it wide open on a plate or chopping board and scoop on 2 tablespoon of the filling.
7. To form the rolls first fold the sides over the filling, then start rolling the cabbage leaf around the filling.
8. Continue forming the rolls until all the leaves have been used up, then arrange the rolls into a skillet - seal down - and bake at 180°C (356°F) for 15 minutes.
9. For the white sauce. Measure the flour and the oil in a bowl, combine together into a paste and microwave for 30 seconds at 800W. Stir into the plant based milk a bit at a time, season with salt and microwave for another 3-4 minutes until it slightly thickens (stirring half way). Please note: This sauce is meant to be pretty runny, if you'd like a thicker sauce add some more flour.
10. Serve the cabbage rolls topped with white sauce and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds for extra crunch.
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