Family Dinner: Bierocks

This is a meal my mom used to make (and I used to inhale).  I remember waiting impatiently in the kitchen so I could snatch a few as soon as they came out of the oven.  20 years later and I still think about these often.  And then one day it dawned on me...I am an adult with my own kitchen.  I could totally just make these for myself.  Duh!

These delicious little German dough pouches are stuffed with a seasoned ground beef and cabbage mixture. They freeze and reheat well, and are awesome dipped in some horseradish mustard. It seems a little involved, but actually comes together really simply. And you can make a bunch at once and take them for lunch over the week, or freeze them to eat whenever you need a fix.

I use my food processor to speed up the prep for this. If you don't have one, no big deal, you just need to plan on some extra time for shredding and chopping. You can make assembling these even speedier and make the filling ahead of time. I am sure you could be authentic and make your own dough, but really....ain't nobody got time for that!  And frozen is just as good in this case.

Bierocks
Makes 12
290 cals / 8g fat / 42g carbs / 13g protein

1 tsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic
2 small onions, cut into quarters
1/2 head green cabbage, core removed
1 lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 pack frozen Rhodes dinner roll dough balls
3 TB butter, melted

To make filling: in a large food processor with the chopping blade, process the garlic cloves until finely chopped. Add the onions and process until the onions are finely diced. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and onions. While that is cooking, fit your food processor with the shredding blade and shred the 1/2 head of cabbage. Add the shredded cabbage to the pot, and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper and cover the pot with a lid, continuing to cook until the cabbage is completely cooked through, adding a tiny bit of water if needed to keep things steaming and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom, about 10-15 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, making sure to break the beef into tiny bits. Set aside until ready to assemble.

Thaw the dough balls however you want to. I spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and set out the dough balls to thaw, covered with plastic wrap. Then just keep them there to allow the dough to begin to rise. Once the balls begin to rise, combine 2 balls together and roll out to a flat circle, about 1/4 inch thick, using a little flour if needed. Place ~1/4 cup beef filling in center, then bring edges together, pinching seams to close.

Place on a sprayed cookie sheet, seam
side down, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow finished pockets to rise 30-45 minutes. Heat oven to 375 and bake, uncovered, until tops are golden brown, ~30 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter and enjoy!

This is a meal my mom used to make (and I used to inhale).  I remember waiting impatiently in the kitchen so I could snatch a few as soon as they came out of the oven.  20 years later and I still think about these often.  And then one day it dawned on me...I am an adult with my own kitchen.  I could totally just make these for myself.  Duh!

These delicious little German dough pouches are stuffed with a seasoned ground beef and cabbage mixture. They freeze and reheat well, and are awesome dipped in some horseradish mustard. It seems a little involved, but actually comes together really simply. And you can make a bunch at once and take them for lunch over the week, or freeze them to eat whenever you need a fix.

I use my food processor to speed up the prep for this. If you don't have one, no big deal, you just need to plan on some extra time for shredding and chopping. You can make assembling these even speedier and make the filling ahead of time. I am sure you could be authentic and make your own dough, but really....ain't nobody got time for that!  And frozen is just as good in this case.

Bierocks
Makes 12
290 cals / 8g fat / 42g carbs / 13g protein

1 tsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic
2 small onions, cut into quarters
1/2 head green cabbage, core removed
1 lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 pack frozen Rhodes dinner roll dough balls
3 TB butter, melted

To make filling: in a large food processor with the chopping blade, process the garlic cloves until finely chopped. Add the onions and process until the onions are finely diced. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and onions. While that is cooking, fit your food processor with the shredding blade and shred the 1/2 head of cabbage. Add the shredded cabbage to the pot, and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper and cover the pot with a lid, continuing to cook until the cabbage is completely cooked through, adding a tiny bit of water if needed to keep things steaming and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom, about 10-15 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, making sure to break the beef into tiny bits. Set aside until ready to assemble.

Thaw the dough balls however you want to. I spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and set out the dough balls to thaw, covered with plastic wrap. Then just keep them there to allow the dough to begin to rise. Once the balls begin to rise, combine 2 balls together and roll out to a flat circle, about 1/4 inch thick, using a little flour if needed. Place ~1/4 cup beef filling in center, then bring edges together, pinching seams to close.

Place on a sprayed cookie sheet, seam
side down, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow finished pockets to rise 30-45 minutes. Heat oven to 375 and bake, uncovered, until tops are golden brown, ~30 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter and enjoy!