Herbie Likes Spaghetti: Get Italian-Inspired for your St. Patrick's Day Meal: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

This week we're bringing you Irish inspired Italian creations. Cabbage and speck tossed in pasta started us off on Monday, and today we bring you these delicious stuffed cabbage rolls. If there's anything more Irish than potatoes and cabbage, we don't know what is. So we stuffed these cabbage rolls with potatoes, onion, and for the Italian side, some ricotta cheese, and baked it on a bed of marinara.

Making the Dish
What You'll Need
2 yukon potatoes, diced finely
1/2 red onion, diced finely
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 head cabbage
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 oz speck or cooked bacon, sliced in a julienne
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese
1 cup marinara sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375. Get started by preparing your cabbage. Remove the tough outer leaves of the cabbage and finely chop it up. Then bring a pot of water to boil, salt lightly, and then put the whole head into the boiling water. Cook the cabbage for about 6 - 7 minutes, then remove from the boiling water and rinse under cool water, let stand until it is cool enough to handle.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Then add in all of the ingredients, the potatoes, onion, chopped cabbage, speck, and garlic. Season lightly with salt.

Remove the big outer leaves from the cabbage. Keep 12 of the biggest ones, and set aside. Core the remaining cabbage, and then dice it up. Throw the diced cabbage into the skillet with the potatoes and onion.

Continue to cook all of the vegetables until everything is soft and golden. This should take about 15 - 20 minutes. Then remove from heat. Let cool slightly, and then add in the ricotta cheese. Fold everything together until nicely combined.

Spread the marinara over the bottom of a baking dish. Spoon an even amount of the mixture into each of the cabbage leaves. Fold over the sides and roll up, almost like a burrito. Then place the cabbage rolls seam side down side by side into the baking dish.

Cover the baking dish with foil and cook for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven, and take off the foil. Cover with the grated cheese, and then place back in the oven for another 10 - 15 minutes until the top is crispy and golden.

The Result
These cabbage rolls, with their golden brown cheesy top, creamy ricotta filling, and savory potato and onion stuffing, will get eaten up quickly! They're light, yet filling. The potatoes and onions are nice and soft, and the speck or bacon give it a nice hint of that cured pork flavor.