Cabbage rolls are a homemade favourite, that consist of ground beef and are wrapped up tightly in cabbage rolls and slathered in tomato sauce. The meal takes a bit of time to prepare since you have to fill in a cabbage leaf roll separately. Since it takes time to make this, it only makes sense to make a few extra cabbage rolls to enjoy later on. There are many ways to reheat cabbage rolls and some of them are described below.
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The Oven Method
The oven is one of the best methods when it comes to reheating cabbage rolls. You can heat up cabbage rolls straight from the fridge or from frozen in the oven. Simply follow these steps to heat up cabbage rolls in the oven,
- Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place your cabbage rolls in a baking pan and pour some extra tomato sauce over your cabbage rolls,
- Cover your cabbage rolls in a baking pan with aluminium foil and leave them to bake for 30 to 45 minutes until they are heated through,
- You can keep your cabbage rolls in the oven a little longer and, check them again every 5 minutes until they are ready to eat,
If you are cooking frozen cabbage rolls they will take longer. However, you can leave them out to defrost in the fridge overnight to speed up the reheating time.
Advantages Of Using An Oven
The oven method will give the best reheating results for your cabbage rolls. It warms up the cabbage rolls evenly throughout, so you will not have uneven ice-cold parts and others scorching hot. Also the oven is also less likely to dry out the tomato sauce, since you will have a foil cover over the rolls. The meat on the inside, together with everything else inside the rolls will remain moist and tasty, and the cabbage leaves will not become too soggy.
Disadvantages Of Using An Oven
The downside of using an oven is that it takes longer to warm up the cabbage rolls than when using other methods. It is important to factor at least an hour into your cooking time, to allow for the oven to warm up and then for the cabbage rolls to be reheated.
The Microwave Method
Another effective way to warm up cabbage rolls is in the microwave. In fact, many recipes allow for cabbage rolls to be cooked from scratch in the microwave, so it would make sense that you reheat cabbage rolls in the microwave. It is fairly simple and quick to do so. Simply follow these steps to reheat your cabbage rolls in the microwave,
- Arrange your cabbage rolls in a microwave-safe dish and spoon over any leftover sauce onto the top of the cabbage rolls,
- Wrap the plastic wrap around the top of the dish. This can cause the cabbage rolls to steam in the microwave, which will help keep them moist and tender without losing too much sauce or drying up.
- Microwave the cabbage rolls on high for about 4 minutes or so,
- Leave the cabbage rolls for a minute or so and check to see if they are warmed through, Leave your cabbage rolls to rest for a minute to allow the heat to distribute evenly through them,
- Check to see if they are warm enough and serve when ready,
Advantages Of Using a Microwave
One of the advantages of using a microwave is that it is quick when it comes to warming up the cabbage rolls. You only need to place them in the microwave for a few minutes until warmed through. By using a plastic wrap to cover your cabbage rolls, you can stop any excess moisture from escaping, which helps to keep the cabbage rolls moist and tender.
Disadvantages Of Using A Microwave
On the downside, using a microwave to reheat cabbage rolls can give inconsistent results. Some parts of the food might be incredibly hot, while others may still be cool. However, if you leave the cabbage roll to sit covered for a minute the heat can distribute evenly, warming up all the areas.
The Stovetop Method
The stovetop method is another way of reheating your cabbage rolls .You may not be able to cook your cabbage rolls on the stovetop as well as you could in the oven, but you can reheat them in a pan on a stove. Make use of a pan big enough to hold the cabbage rolls. If you are reheating a few, you might need to heat them up in batches. Place your cabbage rolls inside a large pan, making sure they are not too cramped. Follow these steps to reheat your cabbage rolls on the stovetop;
- Add some extra sauce over the top of the cabbage rolls to give them a little more moisture,
- Bring the sauce in the pan to a simmer, because that will indicate how much your cabbage rolls are being heated.
- You can add some stock to the pan as well, to essentially boil the cabbage rolls lightly,
- Leave the cabbage roll to heat up on the stove on medium or simmer for 15 minutes, moving them around and turning them as well,
- Check to see if your cabbage rolls have heated through after 15 minutes,
- Serve when ready,
Advantages of Using A Stovetop
The stovetop is a fairly quick method to reheat cabbage rolls compared to using the oven. You can also add more sauce or stock to the pan with the cabbage rolls if it you need to without having to remove the pan from the oven or microwave do so. You can also easily move the cabbage rolls around to heat up better on the stovetop.
Disadvantages Of Using The Stovetop
With the stovetop method you will not be able to heat the cabbage rolls as evenly as the oven, plus you will need to move the cabbage rolls around to ensure they are heated up evenly. You may also need to add stock or sauce to the pan to stop your cabbage rolls from drying out.
Best Way To Store Cabbage Rolls
- It is best to freeze your cabbage rolls, you can place the cabbage rolls in a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible from the bag before sealing it,
- You can also lay the cabbage rolls on top of each other in a freezer-safe container,
- It is best to freeze the sauce separate from the cabbage rolls. This is because the moisture in the sauce might ruin the texture and taste of the cabbage rolls in the freezer, so keeping the sauce separate helps to have it handy.
