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5.0 from 60 votes

Yalanchi (Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves)

These vegetarian stuffed grape leaves (yalanchi aka sarma) are Mediterranean favorites! With a vibrant herb and lemon-infused rice filling, they are perfect as appetizers, snacks, or even part of a meze platter.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
1 hr mins
Total Time
2 hrs 40 mins
Servings: 70 grape leaves
Calories: 47 kcal
Course: Side Dish , Appetizer , Snacks
Cuisine: Mediterranean , Greek , Middle Eastern , Turkish , Armenian

Ingredients

  • 1 jar (1 pound) preserved grape leaves
  • 4 cups finely chopped onions (use a food processor)
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup short-grain or medium-grain rice
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 1 ½ cups finely chopped fresh Italian parsley (use a food processor)
  • ½ cup finely chopped fresh dill (use a food processor)
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and hot red pepper
  • 1 cup water, or as needed
  • lemon slices for garnish

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Rinse the grape leaves in running water and remove stems. Set aside.
  2. To prepare the filling, in a medium pot over medium heat, sauté the onions in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the rice, and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and add the tomato paste, parsley, dill, sugar, lemon juice, and season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot red pepper. Allow the mixture to cool before stuffing the grape leaves.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and arrange the rack in the bottom third of the oven.
  4. When the filling has cooled, lay the grape leaves with the underneath-side (the less smooth side with the visible veins) facing up, and place about 1 tablespoon of filling (or more depending on the size of the leaves) along the stem end of each leaf, fold over the sides, and roll from the stem up to form a sausage-like roll. Repeat with the remaining grape leaves. (If you have leftover filling, you can stuff bell peppers with it and cook it with the yalanchi.)
  5. Arrange the yalanchi in a 9-inch square baking dish, lining them up 2 layers high. If you have extra unwrapped grape leaves, lay them across the top of the others. This will prevent the yalanchi from getting too dry or dark when baked. Pour water over the top to just cover the grape leaves.
  6. Cover the pan with parchment paper, and then a layer of foil. Place in the oven and bake for about 1 ½ hours, or until the rice is puffed up and cooked through (taste one to be sure!). Remove the foil, but leave the parchment paper on it while it cools completely (this will prevent the top from drying out). After it cools to room temperature, cover and refrigerate until cold.
  7. Serve cold, garnished with lemon slices. This dish is best prepared a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Notes

  • If you have different sizes of grape leaves (in your jar or from your own picking/canning) use the larger grape leaves for these yalanchi. Save the small ones for making dolma!
  • If you plan to multiply this recipe, I recommend baking it a couple of smaller pans rather than a single large pan. I find that when baking this in a very large pan sometimes the yalanchi cooks unevenly (the ones in the middle don't cook as fast as the ones on the edges).
  • A food processor saves a lot of time. Use it to chop your herbs, transfer chopped herbs to a bowl, and then (without even washing it out) chop your onions. It’s fine if your onions have a bit of herb residue in them. They will all be cooking together eventually anyway. 

Nutrition Information

Serving 1piece Calories 47kcal (2%) Carbohydrates 4g (1%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 3g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Sodium 24mg (1%) Potassium 24mg (1%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 70grape leaves

Amount Per Serving

Calories 47

% Daily Value*

Serving 1piece
Calories 47kcal 2%
Carbohydrates 4g 1%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 3g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 24mg 1%
Potassium 24mg 1%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.