Gołąbki - Stuffed cabbage rolls

This is how we like it.
With lots of tomato sauce!

"Gołąbki" (plural form) means literally "little pigeons", but don't get discouraged, it's only vocabulary :-)
"Gołąbki" is a traditional Polish dish - delicious stuffed cabbage rolls, that my husband and I, love to eat.
They are perfect, especially when I'm missing homey, comforting, Polish food.
They are known under different names in other European countries, while many people in America refer to this dish as "pigs in a blanket".

Recipe:

1-2 heads of white cabbage,
2 lbs ground beef (*if you can buy ground pork, then half and half),
1.5 cup cooked rice,
1 large onion, chopped,
2 Tbsp butter,
1 clove of garlic, chopped,
1 tsp nutmeg,
salt and pepper,
tomato sauce,
fresh or dried dill

1. Remove core from cabbage and place whole cabbage in a large pot with boiling water.
2. Cover and boil for a few minutes until the leaves get soft and are easy to peel off.
3. Carefully peel off individual leaves, remove hard parts (center stem) using a knife.
4. Chop the remaining cabbage and place it on the bottom of a casserole dish.
5. Fry chopped onions with butter until soft. Let cool.
6. Mix ground beef (and pork, if using any), fried onions, garlic, cooked rice and spices until well combined.
7. Form large ovals from meat and place each one on an individual cabbage leaf. Roll leaves over the meat and place cabbage rolls in a casserole dish.
8. Pour tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls and garnish with dill.
9. Bake in 350º F for 1 hour.

Serve with sauce only or with mashed potatoes on the side.
If you wish, garnish with shredded cheese (optional).

Smacznego!