Closet Cooking

Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

Never miss a recipe! Subscribe to the email Newsletter!

Lahanodolmades (Stuffed Cabbage)

[heart_this] · · 54 Comments

Lahanodolmades (Stuffed Cabbage)

I had so much fun making the stuffed grape leaves that I wanted to do another stuffed dish. Stuffed cabbage leaves had been on my “to try” list for a while and I had a few recipes bookmarked. The one that stood out the most was Peter’s cabbage rolls with avgolemono sauce. These stuffed cabbage rolls were pretty similar to the stuffed grape leaves but that was alright because they were so good. I really enjoy the combination of flavours in this dish. Dill, feta and lemon go so well together and the mint brightens everything up a bit. It was fun trying to peel the leaves off of the hot cabbage but otherwise the recipe was pretty easy. The lahanodolmades turned out to be really tasty! The cabbage leaves were juicy and tender. The rolls held together well though they were easy to cut or bit into.
What I liked most about making this dish was that I really nailed the avgolemono sauce this time. Although my previous avgolemono sauces have tasted good, they did not thicken up as much as I was hoping for. This time I whisked the avgolemono sauce in a double boiler and it thickened up really nicely. The avgolemono sauce was light and frothy and lemony good.

Lahanodolmades (Stuffed Cabbage)

Lahanodolmades (Stuffed Cabbage)

Prep Time:50 minutes Cook Time:45 minutes Total Time:1 hour 35 minutes Servings: 7
ingredients
  • 1 cabbage (cored)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 1 pound lean ground beef (or lamb)
  • 1/2 cup Arborio rice
  • 1/4 cup tomato puree
  • 1/2 cup feta (crumbled)
  • 1 lemon (zest)
  • 1 bunch of green onions (sliced)
  • 1/4 cup dill (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup mint (chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • * chicken stock
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 lemon (juice)
directions
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with some salt.
  2. Carefully place the head of cabbage into the water and boil for 10-15 minutes. The leaves should be a little see through and they should come off easily without ripping.
  3. Drain the water and carefully peel the leaves off one by one removing the thick part of the rib of each leaf.
  4. Heat the oil in a pan.
  5. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  6. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute and remove from heat.
  7. Mix the onions, garlic, ground beef, rice, tomato puree, feta, lemon zest, green onions, dill, mint salt and pepper in a large bowl.
  8. Place a cabbage leaf on a flat surface with the vein side up.
  9. Place a tablespoon of filling in the middle of the leaf and fold the sides over the filling and roll the leaf up. Repeat until all of the filling is used up.
  10. Place stuffed leaves into a baking dish in layers and just cover with chicken stock.
  11. Bake in a 375F/190C oven for about 1 hour.
  12. Whisk the eggs in bowl over a small pan of simmering water until frothy, about 3 minutes.
  13. Slowly pour in the lemon juice while whisking.
  14. Add some of the liquid from the baking dish and continue whisking until it thickens.
  15. Mix most of the avgolemono sauce into the dish with the wraps reserving some for garnish.
  16. Serve garnished with the reserved avgolemono sauce and some chopped dill and or mint.
Similar Recipes:
Dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Kolokithakia Gemista (Stuffed Courgettes)
Eggplant Wrapped Kebabs Baked in Tomato Sauce
eCookbook Bundle Cover

Get ALL 12 Closet Cooking eCookbooks in a bundle for 70% off! Enjoy some of the tastiest recipes from Closet Cooking along with exclusive cookbook recipes!

Get the Cookbook Bundle Now!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  6. redforever says

    April 10, 2008 at 1:27 am

    Here is a hint for next time you make cabbage rolls. It will simplify the cabbage preparation.

    Wrap your head of cabbage in saran wrap and then cover with foil. Freeze for 24 hours. Thaw.

    Your cabbage leaves will separate like magic.

    Reply

  9. Lina says

    April 10, 2008 at 1:44 am

    Hello, I just wanted to say that I love your blog. It was very inspiring for me as I am a new blogger and also pretty new at cooking. I cook a lot of Japanese food as well and love all of your wonderful ideas and recipes. Thank you!

    Reply

  12. Peter M says

    April 10, 2008 at 1:59 am

    Ohhhh Kevin, the cabbage rolls look fabulous and yes, your avgolemono is bang on, beautiful consistency.

    Thank you again for going out on a limb and trying my dishes out. This and many others come from my family and it’s a joy to share them when they turn out as good as this!

    Reply

  19. farida says

    April 10, 2008 at 4:51 am

    I love this dolma! It is very popular in Azerbaijan – with slight variation of ingredients. I make it quite often. I like your recipe, too. Will try this one for change.

    Reply

  27. Elle says

    April 10, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    That’s definitely not the same old stuffed cabbage my mom used to make! This looks fantastic–I love the flavors you’ve incorporated into it!

    Reply

  32. Ben says

    April 10, 2008 at 3:35 pm

    Hey Kevin, this is another great stuffed recipe. I don’t care more for cabbage, but the stuffing and the sauce sound terrific. Great combinations.
    Cheers

    Reply

  37. Bellini Valli says

    April 10, 2008 at 6:39 pm

    These bring back such wonderful memories of eating just this same dish on the island of Santorini. Mama had 100’s of recipes to choose from!! Way to go Kevin:D You are still on a roll!

    Reply

  38. Lisa says

    April 10, 2008 at 9:53 pm

    I would really like to try a vegetarian version of this. Perhaps substitute quinoa for the ground beef or maybe even lots of mushrooms.

    Reply

  41. redforever says

    April 11, 2008 at 1:22 am

    Hi Kevin.

    One more thing to simplify preparing the cabbage head and leaves. Before you freeze the head of cabbage, cut out the central core. Then the leaves come off very easy when thawed.

    Reply

  42. Jeff says

    April 11, 2008 at 1:12 pm

    Stuffed cabbage always brings back awesome memories of my grandma.

    I like this spin on it because grandma’s cabbage was just an excuse to cram as much meat as humanely possible into the cabbage roll and then simmer it in chicken stock.

    Reply

  48. foodie says

    April 28, 2008 at 9:46 am

    Aahhh…this takes me back. My mother used to make them but since she went on a low fat diet, they are just not the same any more. I thin kI will try this.

    Reply

  52. Christina says

    March 22, 2009 at 5:50 am

    What ethnicity is the name “lahanodolmades?” I made almost the same, by the name “golabki” – which is Polish!

    You have tons of nice cabbage recipes — you should submit to my BSI before tomorrow! Info is on my blog.

    Reply

  53. Peter says

    March 24, 2009 at 4:55 pm

    Hi,

    the recipe sounds excellent with one suggestion.

    Being Greek and having the tendency of trying to stuff everything I would recommend specifically using a savoy cabbage(curly cabbage) for a more refined flavor and it will turn out exceptionally moist.

    But also the savoy is much easier to work with.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Left Menu Icon