Turkish Cabbage Rolls (a.k.a Lahana Sarmasi or Dolmasi) is a flavourful dish made of cabbage leaves filled with spiced meat&bulgur mixture. You can prepare these stuffed cabbage rolls ahead and reheat them before serving them to your dinner guests. Perfect dish for entertaining!
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If you like Meat Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas), you will definitely love this cozy and comforting dish too. To make this easy stuffed cabbage recipe, all you need is a handful of ingredients that you might already have in hand.
What is Lahana Sarma?
Lahana Sarmasi - Dolmasi is a very popular winter dish in Turkey and also can be made vegan-friendly using the same filling as Yaprak Sarma-Dolma (Stuffed Grape Leaves).
There are many variations of stuffing you can use for the cabbage rolls. This simple version is made with minced meat, bulgur, and warm spices.
Cabbage is one of the most popular vegetables to stuff. Hence Lahana Sarma is very common in many Eastern European countries such as Poland, Serbia, and Bulgaria, and also in Lebanon (Malfouf), and Greece (Lahanodolmathes).
Why This Recipe Works?
- Lahana Sarma recipe is easy enough for a weeknight meal, but also very impressive for entertaining dinner guests.
- You need a few basic ingredients to make this delicious and comforting winter dish.
- Lahana Dolmasi is very easy to make with step-by-step pictures and instructions.
- This Turkish Cabbage Sarma is also very healthy as well as being delicious. It is loaded with protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
- You can make Lahana Sarmasi ahead and gently reheat it before serving. It tastes even better when reheated!
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Cabbage - White cabbage or cannonball cabbage works better for this recipe but you can also use green cabbage or sweetheart. Make sure they are big, the leaves are not packed too tightly, and give you a lot of big wide leaves perfect for stuffing.
- Minced meat - I typically use beef or lamb mince with a minimum of 30% fat content but you can use lean minced beef and add in olive oil to make it lighter and healthier. Alternatively, you can use finely chopped lamb or beef meat.
- Bulgur - It is widely used in Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisines. Use coarse or medium-coarse bulgur for the best results. You can replace it with rice for a gluten-free version.
- Tomato paste - It is the staple of Turkish cooking. It adds an umami flavor to the dishes as well as a bright red color. You can find it in Turkish or Middle Eastern shops. You can also buy it from Amazon .
- Red pepper paste - Turkish red pepper paste is a rich, delicious paste made with juicy, spicy red peppers and I use it quite often with my Turkish recipes. You can buy it from Turkish or Middle Eastern shops or online from Amazon.
How to Make Turkish Cabbage Rolls?
Rolling cabbage leaves may take a little bit of time but it is very easy to make them. To achieve the best results you need to follow a few simple steps and tips:
Prepare the Cabbage Leaves
Remove the first outer layer of cabbage leaves as they are mostly tough and with dirt. Cut the core out using a sharp knife, going as deep as you can.
Place the cabbage in a large pot of boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly soften and loosen the leaves until pliable. Avoid overcooking the leaves as it will be difficult to roll them.
Save the hard stalk or the hard middle part of the cabbage leaves as they are delicious in Kapuska (Turkish Cabbage Stew). You can also use them to cover the bottom of your pan.
Alternatively, you can peel off the cabbage leaves and blanch them in batches for a few minutes until they are slightly softened and pliable.
Transfer the cabbage to a strainer and let them cool down until it is easy to handle. Separate the leaves and proceed to prepare the filling.
Prepare the Filling
Place the minced meat, diced onions, bulgur, tomato and pepper paste, salt, flaked chili, freshly ground pepper, chopped herbs, dried mint, olive oil, and ½ cup of tap water in a large bowl.
Mix them well using a spoon or your hands.
Roll the Cabbage Leaves
Cut the cabbage leaves into reasonable sizes that you can roll (check the pictures below as a guide).
Prepare a Dutch oven or a heavy-based pan by covering the bottom with the tough cabbage stems or any discarded leaves to avoid the dolmas burning or sticking.
Alternatively, you can use sliced tomatoes or lamb chops to add extra flavor to your dish.
Take a piece of cabbage and place it on a flat surface or a cutting board, coarse side up. Add about one tablespoon of the meat and bulgur stuffing to the end of the leaf closest to you.
Roll up the cabbage leaf to completely cover the stuffing.
Fold in the sides as you roll.
Gently squeeze the rolled cabbage leaves to secure them. Don’t roll them too tight, as the bulgur needs space to expand while cooking.
Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves. As you roll the stuffed cabbage, add them to your prepared Dutch oven or heavy-based pan to form layers of cabbage rolls.
Prepare the Sauce and Cook the Dolmas
In a saucepan, combine olive oil, tomato paste, and salt, add in the hot water and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat. Pour the sauce over the stuffed cabbage leaves. Place the pan over medium heat and bring it to a boil.
Lower the heat and gently simmer for about 45 minutes until most of the sauce has been absorbed completely and the bulgur filling is cooked through. Also, make sure the leaves are super tender and yellowish.
Check from time to time if there is any water left and if cabbage leaves need to cook more, add more hot water little by little each time if necessary.
Allow the stuffed cabbage leaves to rest for half an hour in the Dutch Oven to absorb any remaining liquid before serving the dish.
Top Tips From the Chef
- If you have any leftover filling after finishing the cabbage leaves, you can use it for stuffing other vegetables. Alternatively, you can cook it in a pan with any trimmings or hard bits left from the cabbage leaves, very similar to Kapuska dish.
- Don't stuff the leaves with too much filling as the rice will expand while cooking.
- You can freeze the cabbage leaves instead of boiling them to soften them up. Simply place the cabbage in the freezer wrapped in a cling film for a few days. The leaves will soften naturally after they are thawed.
Recipe FAQs
You can store the leftovers in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze them and keep them for up to 3 months.
This dish is delicious when served with some yogurt side dish such as Cacik (Turkish Yoghurt with Cucumbers) or a bowl of refreshing salad such as Gavurdagi Salatasi (Tomato and Walnut Salad) and Greek Cucumber Salad.
You can make this dish a couple of days in advance and store it for later. It will taste even better the following day as the flavors will sit together. Simply reheat the dish gently on low heat with a bit of water until heated through before serving.
Related Recipes
For more delicious Turkish recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making these delicious Lahana Sarmasi - Turkish Cabbage Rolls as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Lahana Sarması - Turkish Cabbage Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head very large cabbage
- 400 g minced meat (lamb, beef or a mixture)
- 200 g bulgur
- 2 medium finely diced onions
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon pepper paste
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon flaked chilli
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- ½ cup tap water
For the Cooking Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 750 ml water
Instructions
Preparing the Cabbage Leaves
- Remove the first outer layer of cabbage leaves as they are mostly tough and with dirt. Cut the core out using a sharp knife, going as deep as you can.
- Place the cabbage in a large pot of boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly soften and loosen the leaves until pliable. Avoid overcooking the leaves as it will be difficult to roll them. Save the hard stalk or the hard middle part of the cabbage leaves as they are delicious in Kapuska (Turkish Cabbage Stew).
- Alternatively, you can peel off the cabbage leaves and blanch them in batches for a few minutes until they are slightly softened and pliable.
- Transfer the cabbage to a strainer and let them cool down until it is easy to handle.
- Separate the leaves and proceed to prepare the filling.
Prepare the Filling
- Place the minced meat, diced onions, bulgur, tomato and pepper paste, salt, flaked chili, freshly ground pepper, chopped herbs, dried mint, olive oil, and ½ cup of tap water in a large bowl.
- Mix them well using a spoon or your hands.
Roll the Cabbage Leaves
- Cut the cabbage leaves into reasonable sizes that you can roll (check the pictures above as a guide).
- Prepare a Dutch oven or a heavy-based pan by covering the bottom with the tough cabbage stems or any discarded leaves to avoid the dolmas burning or sticking. Alternatively, you can use sliced tomatoes or lamb chops.
- Take a piece of cabbage and place it on a flat surface or a cutting board, coarse side up.
- Add about one tablespoon of the meat and bulgur stuffing to the end of the leaf closest to you.
- Roll up the cabbage leaf to completely cover the stuffing. Fold in the sides as you roll.
- Gently squeeze the rolled cabbage leaves to secure them. Don’t roll them too tight, as the bulgur needs space to expand while cooking.
- Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves.
- As you roll the stuffed cabbage, add them to your prepared Dutch oven or heavy-based pan to form layers of cabbage rolls.
Prepare the Sauce and Cook the Dolmas
- In a saucepan, combine olive oil, tomato paste, and salt, add in the hot water and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat.
- Pour the sauce over the stuffed cabbage leaves.
- Place the pan over medium heat and bring it to a boil.
- Lower the heat and gently simmer for about 45 minutes until most of the sauce has been absorbed completely and the bulgur filling is cooked through. Also, make sure the leaves are super tender and yellowish in color.
- Check from time to time if there is any water left and if cabbage leaves need to cook more, add more hot water little by little each time if necessary.
- Allow the stuffed cabbage leaves to rest for half an hour in the Dutch Oven to absorb any remaining liquid before serving the dish.
Notes
- If you have any leftover filling after finishing the cabbage leaves, you can use it for stuffing other vegetables. Alternatively, you can cook it in a pan with any trimmings or hard bits left from the cabbage leaves, very similar to Kapuska dish.
- Don't stuff the leaves with too much filling as the rice will expand while cooking.
- You can freeze the cabbage leaves instead of boiling them to soften them up. Simply place the cabbage in the freezer wrapped in a cling film for a few days. The leaves will soften naturally after they are thawed.
- Allow the stuffed cabbage leaves to rest for half an hour in the Dutch Oven to absorb any remaining liquid before serving the dish.
- You can store the leftovers in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze them and keep them for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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Amina
I used sweetheart cabbage and it turned out perfect. They tasted amazing. I wish there was a quicker way to do them but worth the effort.