dolmas

These flavor-packed grape leaves are stuffed with a tantalizing mixture of rice; meat; and loads of fresh herbs and warm spices, then cooked in a bright lemony broth. I learned how to make stuffed grape leaves in my mother’s Mediterranean kitchen many years ago, and I’m sharing all her expert tips and tricks with step-by-step photos to show you (be sure to read the post.)

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas) 

grape leaves

short grain rice,

Extra virgin olive oil

yellow onion, finely chopped

oz beef

Kosher salt

Black pepper

allspice

tsp cumin

EACH chopped fresh parsley, fresh dill, and fresh mint

tomatoes

lemons

If using jarred grape leaves as I am here, remove them from the jar and discard the brine. Rinse the grape leaves well and place them in a colander to drain. (Later in the process, you'll remove the stems before stuffing.) (See notes if using fresh grape leaves)

Prepare the Grape Leaves

Soak the rice in plenty of water for about 15 to 20 minutes or until you are able to break one grain of rice easily. Drain well.

While the rice is soaking, cook the meat. Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and cook briefly, about 2 minutes or so, tossing until translucent. Add the meat and cook till fully browned, tossing occasionally. Drain any excess fat, then season the meat with kosher salt, pepper, and spices. Toss to combine. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine the meat, drained rice, and fresh herbs. Season lightly with kosher salt. Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and mix so that everything is well-incorporated.

Prepare the Stuffing

Prepare a heavy cooking pot and lightly brush the bottom with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange a few grape leaves in the bottom (I used the leaves that didn't look too great here and made three layers to protect the stuffed leaves from scorching later.) Top with sliced tomatoes.

To stuff the grape leaves, you will work one leaf at a time. Place one grape leave on a cutting board the textured/rough side facing you. Take 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling and place in the center of the leave, then fold the sides over the filling and roll (think about this like rolling spring rolls or cigars.) Repeat with the remaining grape leaves or until you're out of stuffing.

Neatly arrange the grape leaves in row, seam side down, in your prepared pot, covering the circumference of the pot. Then place a small plate inverted on top. Boil the broth or water and pour over the grape leaves, arriving at the top layer and somewhat covering (about 4 cups liquid, maybe a little more.)

Now cover the pot with the lid and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.  Uncover and remove the plate, then pour juice of 2 lemons. Cover again with the lid (no need for the plate at this point), cook on low heat for 30 to 45 more minutes or until fully cooked.

Stuff Grape Leaves, Assemble, and Cook

Remove grape leaves from heat. Allow to rest uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Add a generous drizzle of quality extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve EVOO), and transfer to a serving platter.

Serve with a side of Greek Tzatziki sauce or plain yogurt and wedges of lemon. (More suggestions for what to serve along in the post above)

To Serve

I made these for vegan family friends and served with tzatziki made with coconut milk yogurt alternative. I used 1/2 cup extra rice and a 4 oz pack of pine nuts instead of the beef. It made tons and they devoured them. So delicious.  At the end of the evening they asked if they could take some back to their hotel. It was hard to give them up, but, you know, friends. Highly recommend this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing your incredible cooking skills with us.

I really loved the Grape Leaves recipe. It was really  simple yet very delicious and it had a room to add my own Afghani touch of spice into it. I took some pictures from them, but I couldn’t find the room to add them in the review site. Thanks again for the beautiful work.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/FLfCPK1A.mp4

How to make stuffed grape leaves (dolmades) 

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Suzy, I wish I could give more stars. I was worried about the spices so used half and used fresh grape leaves blanched, lamb, cauliflower rice for a  low carb version, fresh garden herbs and cooked them in a pressure cooker. The filling is so complex and rich tasting we ate them plain out of the pot. So good, best I’ve ever made, will use full spice next time and thank you.

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Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas)

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas)

Top 2 dolmas recipes from across the web

The most viewed dolmas recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas)

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas)

The most viewed dolmas recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine