Albanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarma)

A plate with three cabbage rolls garnished with a lemon slice.

These cabbage rolls or stuffed cabbage are stuffed with ground beef, rice, onions and spices. Once rolled they're cooked in low and slow for a long time. We call this version of stuffed cabbage Sarma in my home.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Albanian, Mediterranean

Keyword cabbage rolls, sarma, stuffed cabbage

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 30

Resting time 1

Total Time 2 50

Servings servings

Calories 383kcal

Author Sonila

Equipment

1 Large pot
1 Colander
1 Skillet
1 glass mixing bowl

Ingredients

1 cabbage either 1 large cabbage or 2 medium ones
1 lb ground beef
4 yellow onions if onions are large, you can use about 2 onions
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsps olive oil
0.5 cup rice
1 tbsp oregano
0.5 tbsp marjoram
0.5 tbsp parsley
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp sea salt
0.5 tsp black pepper
14 ozs tomato sauce
1 lemon
1 cup water

Instructions

Clean the cabbage, cut the center in a pyramid shape by the head. Place the cabbage head down in a large pot, fill with water and boil the cabbage for about 10 minutes.
Place cabbage in a colander to cool down, once cool to touch then unwrap each leaf and spread them on a tray.
Dice onions really fine and mince garlic as small as possible. Saute minced garlic and chopped onion in olive oil until translucent. Turn heat off.
Add ground beef in a mixing bowl, add rice, sauteed onions and garlic, add sea salt, black pepper, paprika, oregano, marjoram and parsley. Use a wooden spoon to mix well and incorporate all flavors.
Use the first couple of leaves from the cabbage to layer the bottom of the pot.
Start rolling the cabbage leaves one by one. Remove the stem of each leaf first. Add 1 tablespoon of filling inside. Roll from the bottom up, then side like an envelope, roll to finish. Use your hand to squeeze any extra juice from the rolled cabbage. Place in the pot. Keep rolling until you're done with leaves or with stuffing.
Mix 1 can (14 ozs) tomato sauce with 1 cup of water. Pour over the cabbage rolls. Cover the rolls with extra cabbage leaves. Add some lemon slices on top.
Weigh the cabbage rolls down with a heavy plate or bowl. Place the pot covered in the stovetop, start in medium heat and as soon as you hear the sauce boil, lower the heat to simmer and let the cabbage rolls cook for about 1.5 hours.
Serve the cabbage rolls with more lemon slices and some sauce as desired. Enjoy:)

Notes

I use either one large cabbage head or two medium ones. This will produce some leftover cabbage which you can use in salads.

Nutrition