Sesame Ginger Keto Cabbage Rolls

This recipe might seem a little weird–but stick with me. The other day I was craving lettuce wraps, but I wanted something a little heartier, something warm. But also something fresh. And thus, these Sesame Ginger Keto Cabbage Rolls were born.

And let me tell you: it’s so flavourful! This recipe proved to be a great meal prep recipe for the week: easy to make, tasty days later–I think it’s such a winner! 

This recipe was adapted from Food By Mars, and it is so freaking good.

The nice thing about a riceless cabbage rolls, is the reduced cooking time: you don’t have to wait for the rice to cook in the oven, and the result is a hearty meal that doesn’t feel heavy. These kind of meals tend to be my favourite in the spring: I want something light, vibrant, fresh–but winter hasn’t quite left us (if you want proof: yesterday, in mid-April, it snowed).

How To Make This Sesame Ginger Keto Cabbage Rolls Recipe

First things first, you’re going to want to blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water. Basically you want to cook it until it turns nice and bright green and then take it out and place it in cold, ice water to stop the cooking process. This will make it easier to fold your little cabbage babies. (Was that gross? I can’t tell. #isolationcabinfever)

Next, you’ll wan to destem the cabbage leaves. You can do a quick google search if you don’t know how, but basically, you just cut out the thick stem at the base by carving a V-shape around it. It should leave you with a leaf that kind of looks like Pacman facing you, trying to eat you.

Next, we cook the filling. Nothing fancy: cook the shallots, then garlic and ginger. Then add in your pork and cook it down until it’s golden and cooked through. Then add in the grated carrots, fish sauce, tamari and green onions. Mix it all together. Remove from heat–add the cilantro. Yum, yum, yum.

You’ll portion 2-3 spoonfuls onto the leaf–you don’t want it to be too full because you’ll need to roll it. To roll it, just tuck up the v-cut end into the filling, tuck in the sides, and then roll up. Similar to how you’d roll a burrito. Place it in your baking dish (or cast iron pan), seam side down. Continue with the other cabbage babies (I can’t stop–I’m on a roll now. HA, roll. Get it?).

Finally, whisk your sauce together and pour over top. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, uncovered. If you were not in the mood for that, you could probably just dip your cabbage rolls in the sauce and forego the baking. Because there’s no rice, it’s not really a needed step, it’s just nice because it soaks up the sauce and makes it all flavourful.

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Gluten-Free One Pan Mushroom & Sausage Gnocchi

Parsnip & Apple Soup

Key Ingredients

• cabbage (I used Napa, because that’s all I could find–but Savoy would be pretty, and regular cabbage always does the trick)
• ground pork (get high-quality meat from TruLocal delivered to your door)
• shallots
• ginger
• tamari
• fish sauce
• green onion
• carrots
• cilantro
• sesame oil

Substitutions

If you didn’t want to make this keto, you could totally add a cup of cooked rice to the mixture.

Or if you want a little more filling, swap for cauliflower rice (just add it in when you add the carrots).

Alright, keeping it short + sweet today! Lemme know if you try this recipe (tag me on instagram @nourishedwithtish). ALSO, if you haven’t already, join my weekly newsletter–I share the latest posts, discount codes and other gifts. Come on, sign up.

Talk soon lovely humans,

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5 from 5 votes

Sesame Ginger Keto Cabbage Rolls

Delicious keto pork cabbage rolls. This recipe was adapted from Food By Mars.

Servings 5 people

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 inch cube ginger minced
• 1 shallot thinly sliced
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 carrot grated
• 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 2 green onions chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro roughly chopped
• 10 cabbage leaves
• pot of boiling water

Dipping sauce:

• 3 tbsp tamari
• 1 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 lime juiced

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F. Boil a large pot of water.
• Blanch each cabbage leaf by placing in the boiling water and cooking for 1-2 minutes--until vibrantly green. Remove from water and place immediately in an ice bath to stop cooking (or just really cold water if that's all you have).
• In a frying pan, add oil and heat on medium-high heat. Add in shallots and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add in pork, and sautee until cooked through and brown. Stir in the grated carrots, fish sauce, tamari and green onions, warming through. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
• With the cabbage, cut out the stem at the base, making a v-shaped cut. Portion 2-3 spoonfuls of mixture onto the cabbage leaf. Roll the v-shaped end up to the filling, tuck in the sides, and roll the entire cabbage roll up towards to the top of the cabbage leaf (the same you you'd roll a burrito).
• Repeat the step with the other 9 cabbage leaves, place each cabbage roll seam down in a baking pan (or cast iron iron).
• Whisk together the sauce ingredients and drizzle overtop of the cabbage rolls.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake the cabbage rolls. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes.