Cabbage Rolls

I make these cabbage rolls quite often. It is one of my favorite dishes. I am making homemade sauce here. I use medium size cabbage and make about 10-12 medium-small rolls.
Sometimes I would use spaghetti sauce or any pasta sauce I have left over from a meal or even pizza sauce will work for this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 large or medium cabbage, core removed and not cut through
Water for boiling enough to cook the whole head of cabbage
Sauce
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce (about 1.5 cups)
2 to 2.5 cups of water or as needed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Note: I do like to add chopped bell pepper if I have it on hand. You can add any other ingredients you prefer to the sauce as well.
Filling:
1 pound (5 links) Sweet Italian sausage, casing removed, more or less
1 to 1.5 cups cooked white rice, more or less
1 large egg
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper or to taste
Method:
1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil (not rapid boil), over medium-high heat.
2. Carefully drop the whole head of cabbage into the water, bottom side down (where the core was removed). Simmer for a few minutes.
3. Use a long-handle tong to rotate the cabbage in hot water and to remove the leaves one by one. Set aside the leaves in a tray.
4. Repeat the process until almost all of the leaves are removed. Use a knife to help cut the leaves if needed. Let the cabbage leaves cool to room temperature.
5. Make the sauce by sautéing onion and garlic in the oil over medium heat until fragrant. Then add tomato paste and saute for 1 minute.
6. Add tomato sauce, water, and seasonings, bring it to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Set it aside.
7. Make the filling by combining sausage, cooked rice, egg, salt, and pepper. You can change the ratio of sausage or rice as wanted. I like the 1 to 1 ratio.
8. Place the cabbage flat. Remove the tough part of the cabbage leaf if it is too big otherwise it is not necessary to remove it if it is soft enough to roll.
9. Place about ½ cup of the filling in the center of the leaf, shape it into a log, then fold the leaf over the filling on both sides overlapping. Then roll it from the bottom up to secure it. Repeat the process.
10. Pour some of the sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish (about 1 cup). Arrange leftover or scrap of the cabbage leaves over the sauce.
11. Arrage the cabbage rolls in the casserole dish tightly. You may have leftover some small leaves that are too small to roll. Use them to cover the rolls on top for the second layer.
12. Pour more sauce over the cabbage rolls, and cover the dish with the lid or aluminum foil.
13. Bake at 350 deg. F for 1 hour to 1.5 hours or until bubbling and the cabbage is tender when inserted with a fork.
14. Serve with side dishes or extra cooked sausage links on the side. Enjoy! Make about 10-12 cabbage rolls.