afoona
Stuffed Grape Leaves
Meat

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Classic stuffed grape leaves – grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat, scented with herbs, a festive dish

⏱ 1 hr 50 min🍽 4 servings 🌍 Mediterranean👩‍🍳 Afoona🧩 2 parts
🥩 Meat🌾 Gluten-free

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Meatball mix

  1. 1
    Soak the rice 30 minutes in cold water and drain well.
    ⚙ SoakingBowl
  2. 2
    Mix the ground meat with the onion, parsley, mint, cumin, baharat, cinnamon, rice, olive oil, salt and black pepper until evenly combined.

To assemble

  1. 3
    Soak the grape leaves 20 minutes in warm water and drain.
    ⚙ SoakingBowlColander
  2. 4
    Place a little of the mixture in the center of each leaf, fold in both sides and roll up.
  3. 5
    Cover the bottom of the wide pot with a layer of the tomatoes.
    Wide, shallow pot
  4. 6
    Arrange the rolls tightly in a wide pot, seam side down.
    Wide, shallow pot
  5. 7
    Mix the stock and lemon juice and pour over the rolls.
  6. 8
    Set an inverted plate on the rolls so they don't come apart while cooking.
    💡The plate keeps the rolls packed and whole while cooking, so they don't float or open.
  7. 9
    Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, until the rice and meat are done.
    ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid
    💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
590calories
21 gprotein
63 gcarbs
26 gfat
● protein 15%● carbs 44%● fat 41%

Per serving (354 g), of 4 servings

For the Meatball mix · To assemble ·

A button hides that part of the recipe, in print too. Another click brings it back. The choice is kept for this recipe.

⚖ About the ingredients

🔧 Tools needed (5) · 🍳 One cooking vessel

  • Stove · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Portable hot plate (one weaker burner) · Camping gas stove (One burner, outdoors) · Electric pressure cooker (multicooker) (One pot, no real shallow frying)
  • Lid · Also works: Aluminum foil (tight aluminum foil) · Plate (an upside-down plate)
  • Wide, shallow pot · Also works: Deep skillet (sauté pan) (None) · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Pot (Layers instead of a single layer)
  • Bowl · Also works: Pot (None)
  • Colander · Also works: Lid (a lid held slightly open over the sink, you lose a little) · Slotted spoon (for small amounts)

By the steps, as the recipe is built now: another version or addition can change the list.

🧩 Built from…

Meatball mix → Stuffed Leaves

🧩 Another 35 recipes based on Stuffed Leaves

Stuffed Grape LeavesCabbage Stuffed with Meat and RiceStuffed Cabbage in Sweet-and-Sour Tomato SauceStuffed Cabbage in Tomato SauceOnions Stuffed with Meat and Rice in Tomato SauceCabbage Stuffed with Meat and Rice in Sweet-and-Sour Tomato SauceVegetarian Stuffed Cabbage in Tomato SauceVegetarian Stuffed Grape LeavesCabbage Stuffed with Meat and Rice in Tomato SauceHolishkes - Ashkenazi Stuffed Cabbage in Sweet-and-Sour SauceDolma - Stuffed Grape Leaves in Lemon SauceClassic Stuffed Cabbage in Lemon Sauce

And 27 more. All of them on the generics map: /lab/en/map/

🛒 Shopping list