Stuffed Vine Leaves

Name: Stuffed Vine Leaves
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: Serves 10
Cuisine: greek
Ingredients: 40 large vine leaves in brine (available from delis, souschef.co.uk or amazon.co.uk); 5 tbsp olive oil; 2 medium onions finely chopped; 300g lean minced beef; 140ml chicken stock; 400g can chopped tomatoes; 2 tsp tomato purée; 250g short-grain rice; 3 tbsp ground cinnamon; 3 tbsp finely chopped mint; juice 2 lemons

2.85 (6)

⏱ 140 mins 🍽 Serves 10 🌶 greek ✅ More effort 🏷 Snack

This traditional Greek dish, known as dolmades, features vine leaves stuffed with a flavourful mixture of minced beef, rice, cinnamon, and mint. The parcels are baked until tender, creating a delicious and authentic meal. While the preparation requires some time, the result is a satisfying dish ideal for sharing. It serves ten people and is well suited for lunch, a snack, or a starter.

Ingredients

40 large vine leaves in brine (available from delis, souschef.co.uk or amazon.co.uk)
5 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions finely chopped
300g lean minced beef
140ml chicken stock
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tsp tomato purée
250g short-grain rice
3 tbsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp finely chopped mint
juice 2 lemons

Method

Set your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Thoroughly rinse the vine leaves, place them in a large pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Let them boil for 15 mins before draining.
Place the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan. Add the onions and cook for 6-7 mins until they turn translucent. Raise the heat, add the beef and fry for about 5 mins until browned. Pour in the stock, tomatoes, purée and rice. Stir everything together, then mix in the cinnamon, mint, lemon juice and 1 1/2 tsp pepper. Taste for seasoning, stir to combine and take off the heat.
To fill the leaves, position one leaf on a board with the shiny side facing down. Trim and discard any stem. Place 1 heaped tsp of the filling where the stem was. Fold the bottom section over the filling, then bring the sides in and roll downwards to form a parcel. Continue with the rest of the leaves and filling.
Arrange any leftover vine leaves over the base of a deep ovenproof dish. Pack the stuffed leaves tightly into the dish. Pour 140ml water over them and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hr, until the rice is cooked. You can freeze the filled leaves. cook from frozen for 90 mins until piping hot and the rice is thoroughly cooked.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories218 kcal

Fat7 g

Saturates1 g

Carbs25 g

Sugars4 g

Fibre4 g

Protein11 g

Sodium40 mg

Recipe details

Skill levelMore effort

CategorySnack

Cuisinegreek

DietHealthy