Cabbage Rolls, Lazy-style. Ленивые Голубцы.

If you haven't yet caught it, I'm not a big fan of cooking Russian dishes. Don't get me wrong - I find the traditional Russian cuisine delicious but... very time-consuming.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls used to be something I disliked (extremely) when I was a kid - I unrolled them and ate the stuffing, leaving the cabbage leaves to my poor dad and frustrating my poor mom, who had spent hours in the kitchen making them.

Now that I've mastered the art of making authentic Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, I love them, but... I love this recipe more... This is a lazy version that doesn't require the time-intensive artful and unrolling and pre-cooking of delicate cabbage leaves, alas... nor does it have the final beautiful presentation. But... what you have as a result is a low-carb, tender, and moist and MIXED version of all of the ingredients that make Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. It is more like meatballs that melt in your mouth with no crispiness of the original recipe.

• 500g / 1lb ground beef
• 2 white onions, chopped finely in a food processor or finely diced
• 3 tbsp white rice, cooked
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cabbage, chopped finely in a food processor
• 250g / 1 cup tomato sauce

1. In a food processor, chop the cabbage and onion finely, but not to a paste - it should be made of fine but visible fine chopped pieces. 
2. In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, minced onion, egg, rice, salt and pepper. Add cabbage. 
3. Make balls 5-7 cm in diameter, flatten a bit, and in a heated frying pan.
4. Tomato sauce:
   -saute another onion, add tomato sauce, some salt, sugar, spices, some water. Add to the pan, bring to boil.
   I just use jarred spaghetti sauce diluted with water
5. Pour the tomato sauce over the balls. Simmer for an hour. 
6. Serve with sour cream and the sauce