Tofu and aubergine peanut stew
A mild tomato stew with tofu, aubergine and a measured peanut sauce.
About 40 min · 500 kcal · 34 g protein per serving
Vegan
Tempeh and pearl barley stuffed cabbage
Soft cabbage rolls with tempeh, barley and tomato sauce.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 12 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm six leaves hold this much filling
- Confirm the bake time
- Photograph the finished dish
- Time
- About 1 hr 15 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 480 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 31 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains gluten, soya. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- passata. Some passata is salted; check the label.
- vegetable stock. Vegetable stock often contains celery, and some contain milk or gluten; check the label, especially if you need it vegan.
Cooking steps
Simmer the barley in plenty of water for 30 to 35 minutes, until tender, then drain it.
Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan). Simmer the cabbage leaves for 2 to 3 minutes, until pliable, then drain and pat them dry. Shave down the thick rib of each leaf.
Warm the oil in a pan, cook the onion for 5 minutes, then add the tempeh and cook for 4 minutes more. Stir in the barley.
Divide the filling between the leaves, fold the sides in and roll them up. Pack them seam side down in a dish, pour the passata and stock over and cover with foil.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cabbage is tender and everything is hot all the way through.
Cooked when: 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
The useful detail
Keep the rolls snug in the dish so they do not unfold. Packed tightly they hold each other closed, and nothing needs tying.
Make it work for you
One serving is Three rolls with sauce. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
Firm tofu instead of tempeh
Milder and softer; crumble and press it dry first.
Per serving: about 55 kcal less, about 3 g less protein, about 2 g less fat.
Cooked lentils instead of barley
Softer, and it binds the filling more. Use about 200 g cooked.
Per serving: about 25 kcal less, about 5 g more protein, about the same fat.
Allergens: Removes gluten.
Tinned chopped tomatoes instead of passata
A chunkier sauce.
Per serving: about 35 kcal less, about 1 g less protein, about the same fat.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A vegan main with real substance: tempeh is one of the highest-protein plant foods, and the barley brings the fibre.
| Energy | 480 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 31 g |
| Fat | 15 g |
| of which saturates | 3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 65 g |
| of which sugars | not calculated |
| Fibre | 13 g |
| Sodium | 230 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pearl barley | 80 g | FDC 170284Barley, pearled, raw | 282 kcal | 7.9 g |
| cabbage | 300 g | FDC 169975Cabbage, raw | 75 kcal | 3.8 g |
| olive oil | 4.5 g | FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 40 kcal | 0.0 g |
| onion | 60 g | FDC 170000Onions, raw | 24 kcal | 0.7 g |
| tempeh | 220 g | FDC 174272Tempeh | 422 kcal | 44.6 g |
| passata | 300 g | FDC 170460Tomato products, canned, puree, without salt addedCalculated with FoodData Central's unsalted tinned tomato purée record, the closest match to sieved passata. | 114 kcal | 4.9 g |
| vegetable stock | 98 g | FDC 171583Soup, vegetable broth, ready to serve | 5 kcal | 0.2 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 962 kcal | 62.3 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. of which sugars could not be calculated, because one ingredient’s record does not cover it; the row above says which. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days. Better on the second day, once the sauce has soaked in.
- In the freezer
- Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely; the texture is best if it is eaten sooner rather than later.
- Reheating
- Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
White bean and oat savoury loaf
A sliceable bean and vegetable loaf with tomato sauce.
About 1 hr 10 min · 445 kcal · 20 g protein per serving
Vegan