Meat Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas)

Meat Stuffed Grape Leaves (a.k.a Dolmas or Dolmades) is a Turkish dish that is also very popular in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. This dish is known as "Etli Yaprak Sarma" in Turkey and is made with minced meat, fresh herbs, and rice wrapped in vine leaves.

Jump to:

• What Are Dolmas?
• Turkish Dolmas vs Greek Dolmades
• Why This Recipe Works?
• Ingredients and Substitutes
• How to Make Dolma?
• Top Tip From the Chef
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Meat Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas)

Turkish cuisine has many recipes for stuffed (dolma) and wrapped (sarma) vegetable/meat dishes such as Biber Dolmasi | Turkish Stuffed Peppers, Karniyarik - Stuffed Aubergine with Mince, Rice Stuffed Chicken, and Imam Bayildi (Turkish Stuffed Eggplant). They all are made with different ingredients and require a variety of skills. 

What Are Dolmas?

Dolma is the general name of a very popular Turkish/Mediterranean/Middle Eastern dish made with stuffed leaves and/or vegetables.

You can fill (or wrap) grape leaves, chard, or cabbage leaves.

These types of dolmas are also called "Sarma" in Turkish. Sarma comes from the Turkish verb "sarmak" which means "to wrap". Check my Lahana Sarmasi - Turkish Cabbage Rolls recipe if you want to learn more about how to stuff cabbage leaves.

Dolma can be made with various vegetables such as eggplants (aubergines), onions, zucchinis (courgettes), and bell peppers.

The filling for the dolmas also varies by region or preference. Some recipes contain meat, others are vegetarian. Some are cooked in tomato sauce, others cooked in a lemony broth.

Turkish Dolmas vs Greek Dolmades

Dolmas also referred to as dolmades, are possibly the most popular dish in the Balkans, Middle East, and the Mediterranean.

The word dolma comes from the Turkish verb "dolmak", which means to fill. Dolmas is plural for dolma in Turkish, the same as dolmades in Greek. They both are the same in principle, with only a few differences.

Turkish dolmas usually contain a small amount of tomato paste or grated tomatoes and pine nuts (vegan Yaprak Sarma) whereas Greek dolmades are usually heavy on fresh herbs and replace pine nuts with almonds.

Also, some Turkish recipes replace rice with bulgur which is not a common ingredient used in Greek dolmades recipes.

Why This Recipe Works?

• This Turkish dolma dish is not only filling and delicious but is also versatile.

• You can make a big batch of meat dolmas and freeze them for up to 3 months. 

• These healthy and hearty Turkish stuffed leaves might take a bit of time to prepare but it is very easy to make them with step-by-step pictures and instructions.

• If you love healthy Mediterranean recipes like Mediterranean Green Beans (Taze Fasulye), Barbunya (Turkish Style Borlotti beans), and Mucver (Crispy Zucchini Fritters), you are definitely going to love this delicious Turkish Dolmas recipe.

• You can prepare the filling a couple of days in advance and keep it refrigerated until you need them.

• One portion of Stuffed Grape Leaves has only 467 kcal!

Ingredients and Substitutes

Fresh vs Preserved Grape Leaves

You can use either fresh grape leaves or preserved ones. If you are able to find the fresh leaves, I’d definitely suggest making the dolma this way.

Although using the fresh leaves adds extra time and steps to the recipe, the flavor of dolmas is much fresher, which I prefer. If you can get hold of fresh vine leaves, wash them and blanch for a minute or two in boiling water to soften them and make them easier to roll. 

It is much easier to find preserved grape leaves and you don't need to prepare them. The only thing you need to do is to rinse them well to remove the excess salt before stuffing them.

• 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 olive oil to make it lighter and healthier. Alternatively, you can use finely chopped lamb or beef meat.

• Rice - Any short-grain rice would work with this recipe. Make sure you wash the rice under running cold water to get rid of the starch.

• Onions - It adds great flavor to the meat stuffing. You can use finely diced brown, yellow or white onion. Shallots would work great as well.

• Tomato paste - It is the staple of Turkish cooking. It adds an umami flavor to the dishes and bright red color. You can find it in Turkish or Middle Eastern shops. You can also buy it from Amazon.

• Herbs - I use a mixture of dill and parsley. You can also use basil, oregano, mint or chives.

How to Make Dolma?

Rolling grape 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 Grape Leaves

When buying grape leaves, make sure that the leaves are flexible enough and don’t have very hard veins. 

If using fresh grape leaves, wash them thoroughly and blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes, until they are softened and easy to fold. Place them in a colander and let them cool down while you prepare the rice filling.

If using jarred grape leaves in brine, remove them from the jar and rinse well. Let them drain in a colander while you prepare the rice stuffing.

Prepare the Meat Filling

Rinse the rice under cold running water, let it drain on a colander, and then transfer it into a large bowl.

Add the minced meat, chopped onions, salt, freshly ground pepper, chili flakes (optional), tomato paste, olive oil (optional), and chopped herbs to the bowl.

Mix everything very well until all are nicely combined.

Stuff and Roll the Grape Leaves

Start preparing your Dutch oven or cooking pot by layering it with broken/unused grape leaves. You can also use sliced potatoes and/or lamb ribs to avoid the stuffed grape leaves touching the bottom of the pot from burning.

Lay the leaf flat on a cutting board with the shiny side down. Place about 1 tablespoon of the meat filling and place it in the center of the leaf, close to where the stem was.

Fold the sides of the grape leave over the filling.

Roll the grape leave and keep tucking the sides as you roll.

Roll them tightly enough but not too tight, leaving enough room for the rice to expand as it cooks.

Arrange the stuffed grape leaves in rows neatly in your prepared dutch oven or pot. Place them seam-side down and cover the bottom of the pot without leaving any space.

Cook and Serve

Dilute 1 teaspoon of tomato paste with 600 ml water and pour it over dolmas, until they are almost covered.

Bring it to a boil and gently simmer on low heat for an hour, or until the leaves are softened and the rice is fully cooked. Let the dolmas rest before serving.

Top Tip From the Chef

When cooking the dolmas, don't let the water boil, let it simmer gently and cook it low and slow until it reached the desired softness.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more delicious authentic 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 flavour-packed dolmas as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂 

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

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