Stuffed grape leaves with minced meat
Stuffed grape leaves with minced meat is also one of the dishes that has been with me since my childhood. Wrapped vine leaves have always been a family meal in our house. With my simple recipe, you can easily make the rolled grape leaves yourself.
Ingredients for stuffed grape leaves with minced meat
The ingredients for the wrapped vine leaves are easy to buy. If you can’t find pickled vine leaves, then look in an Arabic, Turkish or Greek supermarket. You will definitely find what you are looking for there.
The vine leaves filled with minced meat are also very popular in Greece and Turkey, as well as throughout the Levant and the Balkans. There they are called dolmadakia or sarmasi.
- Pickled grape leaves in brine: either you pickled them yourself in summer or you simply buy them in a well-stocked supermarket.
- Stuffing for the grape leaves: the stuffing is made from onion, tomato, round grain rice, minced beef and the spices cinnamon, salt and pepper.
- Filling the pot: Potatoes, tomatoes and garlic cloves ensure that the stuffed vine leaves do not burn and also add flavor.
- Sauce: The minced meat stuffed vine leaves are cooked in a tomato broth, which should definitely be served with them – so delicious.
Wrapping vine leaves: how to prepare stuffed vine leaves with minced meat
When my mom wraps vine leaves, it’s for the whole family. She uses the biggest pot she can find. The bottom of the pot is then lined with slices of potato, on top of which are fried slices of beef leg, then the rolled vine leaves and lots of vegetables such as zucchini and eggplant.
The pot is then poured with tomato broth and allowed to simmer for a while. There is so much food in the pot that we can eat the stuffed vine leaves with minced meat and the other side dishes for several days. However, I wanted to keep it a little simpler, because not every family is as big as mine.
To prepare the grape leaves stuffed with minced meat, you should follow the steps below (the steps are explained in more detail in the recipe card):
- Wash the grape leaves (desalt).
- Prepare the filling.
- Prepare the potatoes and garlic for the pot.
- Fill the grape leaves with minced meat: Take the vine leaf, remove the stalk, place the filling at the bottom center, fold in the sides, roll up relatively tightly.
- Layer the stuffed grape leaves on potato slices in the pot and insert garlic in between.
- Pour the tomato stock into the pan and leave to simmer. To prevent the rolled vine leaves from falling apart, you can weigh them down with a plate.
So I’ve left out almost half of what my mother puts in the cooking pot. That means less food, of course, but also less work.
The recipe for stuffed grape leaves with minced meat is actually easy to make yourself. You just need a little time to roll them up. I also know from experience that the first vine leaves you wrap are not the prettiest – don’t let this discourage you. The more you wrap, the prettier the rolls will be.
My tip: serve with flatbread. Then put the stuffed grape leaves in the flatbread and dip the stuffed flatbread in the tomato sauce – it’s sooo delicious.
I hope you enjoy wrapping them up. If you liked the recipe for stuffed vine leaves with minced meat, please leave a rating and if you have any questions or suggestions, let me know in the comments.
Stuffed grape leaves with minced meat recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g pickled vine leaves in brine
- 1 Onion
- 3 Tomatoes
- 300 g Potatoes, waxy
- 3 Garlic cloves
- 70 g Round grain rice
- 500 g Minced beef
- ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
- Salt, pepper
- 300 ml Passata
- 500 ml Vegetable broth
Zubereitung
- Wash the vine leaves well under running water, as the leaves are very salty. If necessary, leave to desalt in water for a few minutes.
- For the filling, wash the rice until the water runs clear.
- Finely chop the onion, finely dice one tomato and cut the others into thick slices.
- Peel the potatoes and cut into thick slices.
- Peel and lightly press the garlic.
- Mix the diced onion and tomato with the spices, rice and minced meat.
- To fill the vine leaves, take one leaf at a time, cut off the stalk and cover a horizontal strip in the middle of the leaf with 1-2 teaspoons of filling (depending on the size of the leaf). Then fold in the sides and roll up the leaf. Repeat until there is no more filling left.
- Spread the potato slices over the bottom of the pan. Then place the tomato slices on top of the potatoes and insert the pressed garlic into the gaps. Finally, place the stuffed vine leaves on top of the tomatoes.
- Pour the passata stock into the pan until the vine leaves are covered and bring to the boil. To prevent the vine leaves from unraveling during cooking, you can weigh them down with a plate.
- Then cook over a medium heat with the lid on for approx. 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue to simmer for approx. 20-25 minutes.
Notes
Nährwerte
Can you freeze stuffed vine leaves?
In short: yes. If you pack the grape leaves filled with minced meat in an airtight container when cooled, they will keep for approx. 3-6 months.
You can put them in the fridge to defrost them and then reheat them by steaming them or heating them slowly in the microwave.
You can also try the vegan stuffed grape leaves or take a look at the article on vine leaves to find out more about this delicious treat.
You can also follow me on Instagram for even more inspiration about Levante cuisine.
