• Home
    • Meet Me & Mr B
  • Recipes & Food
    • Appetizers, Snacks & Small Bites
    • Beverages
    • Bread Recipes
    • Condiments Recipes
    • Desserts & Sweets
    • German Recipes
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Side Dish Recipes
    • Soup & Chowder
    • Sourdough Recipes
    • Recipes by Eating Style
      • Dairy-free Recipes
      • Gluten-free Recipes
      • Vegan Recipes
      • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Recipe Round-ups
  • Cozy Living
    • Arts, Crafts & DIY
    • Music Notes
  • Cozy Travel
    • Pacific NW
      • Pacific NW Hikes
      • Portland Area
      • Oregon Coast
      • Orcas Island WA
      • Southern Oregon
    • Hikes Near & Far
    • Mountain States
    • Southwestern US
    • Hawaii
    • Tennessee for Music Lovers
    • International Travel
    • One Day in…
  • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
      • Cookie Statement
      • Disclosure
    • Work with Us!
      • Media Kit
    • Contact Us!

The Good Hearted Woman

Home Cooking & Cozy Living

  • SOURDOUGH RECIPES & RESOURCES

Dolmades {Stuffed Grape Leaves}

November 13 By Renée 2 Comments

Dolmades, cut

These savory little bites can be made for meat lovers and vegetarians (even vegans!), taste great warm or cold, and last for days. The perfect party snack!

How to roll a stuffed grape leaf - Step 1

Dolmades {Stuffed Grape Leaves}

Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time1 hr
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

  • 1 jar grape leaves
  • 1 1/2 cups rice uncooked
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 Tbs fresh dill chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh mint minced
  • 4 oz feta cheese crumbled
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 3/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • salt and pepper

Meat Option

  • 1/2 lb lean ground pork
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  • In a dry skillet, toast pine nuts until lightly browned. Set aside.
  • Saute onion in olive oil until golden. Add rice and saute until rice is coated and very lightly browned. Add water, salt and pepper and simmer until water is all absorbed and rice is half cooked.
  • Add rest of ingredients (except grape leaves and lemon juice) and toss to mix well.
  • If you are making a portion of the rolls with meat, divide mixture into thirds at this point. To each third that you wish to make with meat, add 1/2 pound lean ground pork, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grinds of pepper.
  • Roll mixture into grape leaves. burrito-style. (See pictures below)
  • Line skillet or large pot with additional grape leaves, and lay stuffed grapes leaves in one tightly stacked layer on the bottom of the pan. Pour 1/2 the lemon juice over the top and add enough water to cover the dolmathes halfway.

You can cook these a couple of ways:

  • Simmer for about 45 minutes on low, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked - OR - Cover the pot and put it in the oven. Bake about 35-45 minutes at 350F.
  • When the dolmathes are done, pour the rest of the lemon juice over the top.Serve warm or cold, with Feta-Dill Sauce or tzatziki.
Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

Pine nuts can be very expensive, but I buy mine in bulk, and just get what I need – no more – so they really aren’t too bad, and a little goes a long way.  If you really don’t want to use pine nuts, you can substitute chopped walnuts or pistachios.

Meat-eaters’ Option:
Divide mixture into thirds. Make vegetarian rolls with 2/3 of mixture. With the remaining 1/3, add 1/2 pound lean ground pork or ground lamb, plus about 1/2 tsp of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper.  (I always use pork because I don’t eat lamb, but Mr B is lobbying for lamb-stuffed rolls one of these days.)  I cook my meat rolls in a separate pan from my vegetarian rolls, but this depends entirely on the preferences of the vegetarian eaters in your house – the rolls can be cooked all together.

Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet.

Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet until lightly browned. At the exact moment when these were just starting to toast, My kids had a minor crisis and I turned my attention away from them for a few seconds. Such is life.

How to roll a stuffed grape leaf - Step 1

How to roll a stuffed grape leaf (Step 1) Place about 2 tablespoons of filling mixture in the center of the grape leaf.

How to roll a stuffed grape leaf - Step 2

How to roll a stuffed grape leaf (Step 2) Roll it up, burrito-style.

How to roll a stuffed grape leaf - Step 3

How to roll a stuffed grape leaf (Step 3) The end product should be very slightly loose to allow room for the rice to expand when it cooks.

Dolmades, cut

Serve with garlic-dill sauce. (These are cut open so you can see what’s inside. When you serve them at home, leave them intact.)

Filed Under: Appetizers, Eating Style, Gluten-free, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian Tagged With: Greek food, raisins, rice

Pretty Green Feta-Dill Sauce

November 12 By Renée Leave a Comment

I love making sauces, and this one of one of my favorites.  A close cousin to Greek Tzatziki, this super easy-to-make sauce goes great with many Greek, Middle Eastern, and Indian foods. (Try it with Stuffed Grape Leaves.)

Be sure to use fresh herbs!! They make all to the difference in the final product.

Dill Sauce

Green Feta-Dill Sauce

This feta, garlic, dill sauce goes well with many Middle Eastern, Greek and Indian foods.
Prep Time5 mins
Total Time5 mins
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course: Sauce
Servings: 8
Calories: 45kcal
Author: Renée ♥

Ingredients

Follow The Good Hearted Woman on Pinterest for more great recipes!

  • 1 cup plain yogurt I use Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 1 large clove garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • A couple of turns of freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend. You may need to add just a little milk to get things going, particularly if you use very thick Greek yogurt.

Nutrition

Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2.5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 120mg | Sugar: 2g
Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!
Ingredients in blender, ready to go.

Throw all the ingredients in a blender and pulse to combine. If you are using a thick Greek Yogurt, you may need to add some milk to the bottom of the mixture to get things started.

Filed Under: Eating Style, Gluten-free, Recipes, Sauces, Dressings & Dips, Vegetarian Tagged With: dill, Greek food

Hello! We’re so glad you’re here.

Hello! We’re so glad you’re here! | The Good Hearted Woman {& Mr B}

Join me & Mr B as we share the best in home cooking and cozy living - from the beautiful Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Follow Us!

Sponsors
Privacy Policy

© Harmony Cat LLC, 2011-2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. The Good Hearted Woman is a subsidiary of Harmony Cat LLC.

sponsored