Greek Grape Leaves with Rice (Dolmades)
A completely plant-based take on the traditional Greek/Middle Eastern favorite, these Greek grape leaves are rolled and stuffed with fresh herbs, rice and a hint of lemon.
Equipment
- Large oven-safe dish
- Skillet
- Large pot
- Measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Cooking Spoons
- Cutting Board
- Chopping Knife
- Aluminum Foil
Ingredients
- 16 oz jar of grape leaves
- 1 1/2 cups white rice jasmine, preferably
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill or 1/2 bunch
- 1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley or 1 full bunch
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1 large onion white
- 1 red onion
- 4 scallions, sliced
- 2 lemons
- 3-5 cloves of garlic
- 1/3 cup olive oil plus extra for drizzling
- salt + pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1.5 cup water
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash and then finely chop the parsley, dill, mint, scallions/onion and garlic.
- Sauté the garlic and onion in the olive oil about 2-3 minutes. Then add the fresh herbs and scallions. Sauté all together for another 2 minutes until all have softened.
- Add the rice, salt and pepper, the juice from 1 lemon, and water. Sauté all together for about 3-5 minutes, until well incorporated and most of the water has been absorbed. Set aside to cool.
- Carefully take the grape leaves out of the jar. Gently open up and rinse the brine from the grape leaves. Gently separate the grape leaves, laying them out on a plate or pan.
- Preheat your oven to 425.
- Set a large pot of water on your stove top to boil while you roll grape leaves.
- Take a grape leaf and open it up. The vein of the grape leaf should be facing up to the ceiling (not facing your countertop). Take ONE teaspoon of rice filling for large leaves (size of your palm) and place towards the widest part of the grape leaf at the bottom. Begin to roll forward, gently tucking in the sides as you go. (Grape leaves will be rolled like little cigars with the ends tucked in).
- Lay them into the pan, packed tightly against each other so they don't move. You can use a glass pyrex or steel oven-safe pan (shape doesn't matter), as long as it's fairly deep, at least 2 inches.
- Once they're all packed on, drizzle a healthy dose of olive oil, add salt and pepper, and the juice from 1 lemon. Then pour BOILING water over your grape leaves until they are just covered.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 425 for 1 hour or until the water is almost completely gone and the rice is soft/cooked through. Best way to determine if it's cooked through is to try one! Uncover and place back in the oven for 5-10 minutes to get a little color.
- Serve and enjoy! You can serve cold or warm. I like to serve with a fresh drizzle of olive oil and a fresh lemon wedge.
Notes
1. Grape leaves can be delicate. You'll want to handle with care, especially when first taking them out of the jar.
2. I would NOT subsitute the fresh herbs for dried herbs. Fresh herbs truly make the difference here because that is what is providing the most flavor for your dish.
3. When you're rolling, you will come across grape leaves of all sizes. The average grape leaf needs only 1 teaspoon of filling (remember that rice expands when cooked!). For smaller leaves, drop down to half a teaspoon.
*** If your leaves are overfilled, they will unroll and open as the rice cooks.
4. If you have left over rice filling, you can simply lay it in a small pile in with the grape leaves and it will cook in the oven or cook separately in a saucepan as you would normally cook rice.
5. One jar will make roughly 50 grape leaves.
6. Do not fully cook the rice before baking. If you completely cook the rice, it will become very mushy in the oven.