Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale)
User Reviews
4.7
741 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
4 hrs
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Total Time
4 hrs 30 mins
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Servings
30
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Calories
137 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Dinner
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Cuisine
Romanian
Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale)
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Here's my mom's recipe for traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale) which I've been making for decades. They're stuffed with pork and rice and baked with lots of bacon in between. They're the best cabbage rolls you will ever have!
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- ½ cup long grain rice uncooked
- 2 pounds ground pork
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- ¼ cup fresh dill chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 head sour cabbage about 1 large cabbage
- 15 lices Bacon chopped
- 4 cups tomato juice
- water as needed
Instructions
- Soak the sour cabbage in cold water overnight or at least an hour before making these. If you don't have time, rinse the cabbage well under cold water. Then take each leaf and cut the core from then cut it in half if the leaves are too big.
- Heat the oil in a skillet, add the onions and cook until softened and translucent. Add the rice and cook for another minute.
- In a large bowl, add the ground pork, salt, pepper, parsley, dill and the onion and rice mixture. Be careful with the salt, not too much is needed because the sour cabbage is already salty. Mix well using your clean hands.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C).
- Fill each leaf with about a ¼ cup of the meat mixture and roll tucking in the ends as you see in the video. Repeat with all the remaining meat and cabbage leaves.
- If you have any leftover cabbage leaves you'll want to chop that up and spread some on the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Then place the cabbage rolls on the chopped cabbage in a single layer. Next, you'll want to top with bacon, and be generous.
- Finish with another layer of cabbage rolls, more bacon and a bit more chopped cabbage. If you like you can also season with some ground pepper.
- Pour the tomato juice over the cabbage rolls and add additional water as needed. You want to make sure the rolls are completely covered with liquid.
- Cover the Dutch oven with a lid or aluminum foil if your pot doesn't have a lid and transfer it to the oven. Bake for 2 hours, then remove the lid or foil and cook for another 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Serve with polenta and sour cream.
Equipments used:
Notes
- I usually find sour cabbage leaves at my local grocery store like Sobey's or Safeway, but you can also find them at European markets. You can also order it from amazon here.
- You can use fresh cabbage instead of sour cabbage, but more work is required. You first have to blanch the cabbage. To do so, core the cabbage first, one large cabbage should be enough for this recipe. In a large pot of boiling slated water, add the cabbage and blanch it for 5 to 8 minutes or until leaves are softened. Remove from the pot and chill under cold water.
- Another alternative to softening the cabbage leaves is to wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it for a couple days. Remove the cabbage from the freezer and thaw it out at room temperature. Once the cabbage has thawed out, the leaves should be softened.
- Recipe yields about 30 cabbage rolls, depends on the size of your rolls.
- These will last in your fridge for 3-4 days. Cover the baking dish well with plastic wrap or foil, or you can transfer the leftovers to an airtight container. They will also last 3-4 months in your freezer. Make sure to save all that juice as well! You’ll need it to reheat the rolls.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1roll
Calories
137kcal
(7%)
Carbohydrates
3g
(1%)
Protein
7g
(14%)
Fat
11g
(17%)
Saturated Fat
4g
(20%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
5g
Trans Fat
0.01g
Cholesterol
29mg
(10%)
Sodium
94mg
(4%)
Potassium
197mg
(6%)
Fiber
0.3g
(1%)
Sugar
1g
(2%)
Vitamin A
224IU
(4%)
Vitamin C
8mg
(9%)
Calcium
11mg
(1%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 30Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 137 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1roll | |
| Calories | 137kcal | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 3g | 1% |
| Protein | 7g | 14% |
| Fat | 11g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Trans Fat | 0.01g | 1% |
| Cholesterol | 29mg | 10% |
| Sodium | 94mg | 4% |
| Potassium | 197mg | 4% |
| Fiber | 0.3g | 1% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 224IU | 4% |
| Vitamin C | 8mg | 9% |
| Calcium | 11mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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Overall Rating
4.7
741 reviews
Excellent
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