Stuffed with a savory mixture of seasoned meat, rice, and fresh herbs, these tasty rolled bundles are perfect served as an appetizer, as part of a mezza platter, or as a hearty side dish.
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What's the Story Behind this Recipe?
Dolma is a general term for a dish of rice, or rice and meat, mixed with herbs and spices, and then rolled in grape leaves. Grape leaf-wrapped dolma can be found in one form or another throughout the Mediterranean and parts of the former Ottoman Empire; with distinct variations found in Greece (dolmandes), Armenia (tolma), Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria (yebra), among others.
Our stuffed grape leaf recipe is loosely based on traditional Greek dolma, with influences from both Lebanese and Armenian recipes. We find the combination of fresh herbs and just a hint of sweetness from the chopped raisins to be the perfect balance.
What Goes into this Recipe
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
★ Grape leaves: You can use either jarred or fresh grape leaves for this recipe.
For jarred grape leaves, you will need to thoroughly rinse and sort them before using.
For fresh grape leaves, you will need to blanche them to soften them before using.
★ Grated onion: Grated onion is one of your grandma's secret ingredients. Be sure to use both the onion and the onion juices.
Substitutions: We recommend using a sweet onion for this recipe, but a yellow, or even a red onion will work.
★ Ground Pork: Do not use pork sausage: the seasonings will throw off the flavor. Use plain ground pork.
Substitutions: Ground pork is actually a bit of a substitution in and of itself.
Ground lamb is traditionally used in many traditional dolma recipes; however, I avoid eating lamb, and use the combination of beef and pork as a substitute.
If you like lamb, you can sub ground lamb in for any or all of the ground meat in this recipe.
★ Ground Beef: We recommend using a lean ground beef; about 90%.
★ Rice: We recommend using basmati rice. The recipe times and temperatures are set for plain basmati rice; if you use any other kind of rice, you may need to adjust the cooking time.
★ Pine nuts: Pine nuts have a sweet, nutty flavor that we just love in the dolma.
Substitutions: You can use chopped walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or even hazelnuts.
★ Olive Oil: We recommend using extra virgin olive oil.
★ Fresh herbs: Fresh herbs are the best for making dolma; however, it can be hard to find them at certain times of year.
Curly or Italian flat parsley will both work in this recipe.
Substitutions
- Parsley: 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- Mint: 1½ tablespoons dried mint
- Dill: 1 tablespoon dried dill
How to Make Stuffed Grape Leaves
Ingredient Prep
Soak rice in hot water for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain in a sieve or colander.
For jarred grape leaves:
Often, the hardest part of using jarred grape leaves is getting them out of the jar: sometimes they are really packed in there! Take your time.
While the rice is soaking, rinse the grape leaves in a warm water bath for a few minutes.
Remove the grape leaves from the warm water and separate into two piles: (1) whole leaves and (2) torn or partial leaves.
Rinse the leaves in cold water, drain in a colander, and set aside.
For fresh grape leaves:
Wash fresh grape leaves thoroughly. Add them to a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, just until they are soft and pliable.
Rinse the leaves in a colander under cold water. Drain and set aside.
In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium-high until they are light golden brown.
Make the Filling
In a medium mixing bowl, combine ground pork and beef, rice, toasted pine nuts, chopped raisins, fresh chopped herbs, lemon zest, and seasonings.
How to Roll Dolma
Start by using the whole grape leaves to roll the filling mixture. (If you run out of whole leaves, you can use two partial leaves.)
1 - With the top of the leaf pointing away from you, place a tablespoon of filling in the center of one grape leaf.
2 - Fold the bottom of the grape leaf over the filling.
3 - Fold in the sides, as you would when rolling a burrito, and then roll the dolma securely and place seam side down.
Do not roll the dolma too tightly or too loosely. It should feel solid, with no loose filling. The grape leaf should not look or feel strained or stretched in any way.
Prep Rolls for Cooking
Line skillet or large pot with torn and , and lay stuffed grapes leaves in one tightly stacked layer on the bottom of the pan.
A - Place the rolled grape leaves in the skillet.
You can place them tightly together, because as the meat cooks down, the rice cooks up, and they end up taking up about the same amount of space at the end of the cooking time as they do at the beginning.
This recipe will fit exactly into a 12-inch skillet. If you end up with more than one layer of rolled grape leaves, just put the extras in the middle on top of the first layer.
B - Layer a sliced lemon over the top.
Pour the lemon juice over the top, and then add enough water to cover the rolled grape leaves three-quarters of the way. (About 2 cups, more or less. The water should reach about an inch up side of the pan.)
C - Layer any remaining grape leaves on top. (If you don't have a lot of extra leaves, don't worry.)
D - Invert a dinner-size plate on top of the prepared dolmas, then cover the skillet. The plate helps the dolma stay in place and not float around during the cooking process.
2 Methods for Cooking Dolma
Oven Method (Recommended)
Preheat oven to 350°F | 177°C.
Cover skillet with a lid and place them into a preheated oven.
Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven but do not remove the skillet lid.
Set aside and allow the dolma to rest for another 15 minutes. (They will continue to cook during this time.)
Stovetop Method
Simmer over medium-low heat for 45-60 minutes on low; until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.
Check the dolma frequently to avoid burning them on the bottom.
When rice is completely cooked but not overdone, turn off the heat, leave the lid on, and allow the dolma to rest for 15 minutes.
When the dolma are fully cooked and rested, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top of them and use a pastry brush distribute it evenly. This not only improved their appearance, but it helps to keep them moist for longer.
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm or cold with plain yogurt, Feta-Dill Sauce, or tzatziki.
FAQs & Expert Tip
Dolma with meat can be made up to two days ahead of time. Store covered in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Dolma may be served cold, or rewarmed the microwave. They may also be rewarmed in the low oven (200-225) for 5 minutes.
"Dolma" means "stuffed," and "sarma" means "rolled."
This means a stuffed eggplants or stuffed peppers may be dolma, but neither is sarma.
Stuffed grape leaves are both stuffed and rolled, so may be referred to as either dolma and/or sarma. (Stuffed cabbage rolls can also be categorized as both.)
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Dolma with Meat (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 jar grape leaves or about 75 palm-size fresh grape leaves
- 1 cup basmati rice uncooked; or medium-grained white rice
- 1 large sweet onion grated
- ½ pound lean ground pork
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup pine nuts
- ½ cup golden raisins chopped; or currants, Craisins, etc.
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley ~0.4 ounces/ 12g
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill ~0.4 ounces/ 12g
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint ~0.4 ounces/ 12g
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice ; about 2½-3 lemons
- 1 whole lemon ¼-inch slices
- 2 cups water more or less
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil
Instructions
Ingredient Prep
- Soak rice in hot water for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain in a sieve or colander.
- For jarred grape leaves:Often, the hardest part of using jarred grape leaves is getting them out of the jar: sometimes they are really packed in there! Take your time.While the rice is soaking, rinse the grape leaves in a warm water bath for a few minutes.Remove the grape leaves from the warm water and separate into two piles: (1) whole leaves and (2) torn or partial leaves.Rinse the leaves in cold water, drain in a colander, and set aside.For fresh grape leaves:Wash fresh grape leaves thoroughly. Add them to a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, just until they are soft and pliable.Rinse the leaves in a colander under cold water. Drain and set aside.
- In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium-high until they are light golden brown.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine ground pork and beef, rice, toasted pine nuts, chopped raisins, fresh chopped herbs, lemon zest, and seasonings.
How to Roll Dolma
- Start by using the whole grape leaves to roll the filling mixture. (If you run out of whole leaves, you can use two partial leaves.)
- 1 - With the top of the leaf pointing away from you, place a tablespoon of filling in the center of one grape leaf.2 - Fold the bottom of the grape leaf over the filling.3 - Fold in the sides, as you would when rolling a burrito, and then roll the dolma securely and place seam side down.Do not roll the dolma too tightly or too loosely. It should feel solid, with no loose filling. The grape leaf should not look or feel strained or stretched in any way.
Cooking the Dolma
- Line skillet or large pot with torn and , and lay stuffed grapes leaves in one tightly stacked layer on the bottom of the pan.A - Place the rolled grape leaves in the skillet.You can place them tightly together, because as the meat cooks down, the rice cooks up, and they end up taking up about the same amount of space at the end of the cooking time as they do at the beginning.This recipe will fit exactly into a 12-inch skillet. If you have more than one layer, just put the extras in the middle on top of the first layer.B - Layer a sliced lemon over the top.Pour lemon juice over the top, and then add enough water to cover the rolled grape leaves three-quarters of the way. (About 2 cups, more or less. The water should reach about an inch up side of the pan.)C - Layer any remaining grape leaves on top. (If you don't have a lot of extra leaves, don't worry.)D - Invert a dinner-size plate on top of the prepared dolmas, then cover the skillet. The plate helps the dolma stay in place and not float around during the cooking process.
- Oven Method (recommended) Preheat oven to 350°F | 177°C.Cover skillet with a lid and place them into a preheated oven.Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven but do not remove the skillet lid.Set aside and allow the dolma to rest for another 15 minutes. (They will continue to cook during this time.)
- Stovetop MethodSimmer over medium-low heat for 45-60 minutes on low; until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.Check the dolma frequently to avoid burning them on the bottom.When rice is completely cooked but not overdone, turn off the heat, leave the lid on, and allow the dolma to rest for 15 minutes.
- When the dolma are fully cooked and rested, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top of them and use a pastry brush distribute it evenly. The olive oil not only improves their appearance, but it also helps to keep them moist for longer.
- Serve warm or cold with plain yogurt, Feta-Dill Sauce, or tzatziki.
Notes
This recipe is loosely based on traditional Greek dolma, with influences from both Lebanese and Armenian recipes.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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Previously published November 13, 2012, and revised February 16, 2016. Post has been updated with new content, images, and instructions to improve reader experience.
Charles Braund says
Year ago, I used to use the recipe that was printed on the back of the Cypressa vine leaf packs. Pretty basic but included cinnamon and tomato puree and was cooked in wine - otherwise it was meat rice and parsley.
The commercial offerings (no matter who from) are really pretty awful and certainly don't contain meat - nasty globby constructions with awful texture and taste.
I tend to go for a lot of Middle Eastern foods which I consider to be amongst the world's tastiest cuisine and of course the dolma or dolmades is named something like warak-i-nab and in restaurants is often very good.
I certainly like my dolmades / dolmas with meat and the addition of raisins and pine nuts gives an extra dimension. Prior to this recipe, I had never use dill in dolmades and rarely used mint but they add to the overall effect.
This must be one of the best dolmades recipes in existence. Not sure whether I should try adding cinnamon into the mix but that might be for next time. Likewise, I may use tomato puree in the mix in future and cook in a light white wine.
Hot or cold, these are excellent.
I had a Greek friend who always said my dolmades were the best and most authentic he had ever tasted (using the Cypressa recipe) I wonder what he would reckon to this recipe which takes the whole thing to a new level.
Renée says
Thank you for the feedback, Charles, and for the kind words about the recipe! I'm so glad you liked it. It really is amazing what a few fresh herbs will do for a dish, isn't it?
Kathleen says
Our dear neighbors are hosting a dinner and asked us to bring a traditional Greek dish, made these, loved them, thanks for the easy instructions.
Jamie says
I love ordering these at my Greek restaurant and it's even better to make these at home! This will be part of my next mezza platter.
Sharon says
These are such a fun and unique party appetizer. The filling is so tasty, they are always a hit.
Mirlene says
I used to love ordering these at the restaurants. Now I make them! They're so savory and delicious. We really love them!
Anita says
These are delicious. It tastes exactly like how I remembered from our favorite Greek restaurant. So glad I can now make this myself to save money on eating out.
Renée says
We love the leftovers for lunch, with a little Greek yogurt on the side.
Susan says
Thanks so much for this recipe, I've been wanting to make dolmades but was a bit afraid of it. Your instructions make it seem do-able so I am gonna try it. Thanks!
Renée ♥ says
They are super-easy. Be fearless!