Sarmale (Cabbage Rolls)

Sarmale is a standard dish in Romania and is one of my most favorite dishes from this country. This dish is literally meat and some cabbage. You can make them any time you want and due to the quantity it can feed a lot of people or feed you well for a couple of days.

Sarmale is eaten during holidays and special occasions like Christmas and Easter. I learned making these cabbage rolls through my mother-in-law. I enjoy making it, even if it takes time to make.

Sarmale Ingredients

Ground beef/pork: Traditionally use ground pork in the cabbage roll or half pork half beef.

Rice: My mother-in-law likes to parboil rice for about 5 minutes. I personally just add them raw, but parboil them, if you are in a time crunch.

Egg: The egg acts as a binder for the meat mixture.

White onion: Cut your onions as fine as possible or pass them through a meat grinder.

Cabbage: The very important cabbage. My in-laws pickle their own cabbage in a container and not everyone has that available. But fret not I will mention another method below.

Tomato Paste: Tomato paste will add color and some flavor to your Sarmale.

Thyme: Sprinkle the thyme at the bottom of the pot for flavoring.

Sarmale (Cabbage Rolls)

Print Recipe

Sarmale is a national dish in Romania. Commonly is prepared and eaten during holidays and special occasions.

I’m not going to lie to you, but this recipe is a little more tedious, but I promise to you that the effort will be worth it at the end.

• Author: Jessica
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 50 Sarmale 1x
• Category: European
• Method: Pot
• Cuisine: Romanian

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 kg ground pork/beef
• 100 g round rice
• 1 egg
• 2 medium white onions
• 2 medium cabbage heads (1.5 kg)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Thyme (just to sprinkle at the bottom of your pot)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• Water

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Instructions

1. First of all we need to soak the pickled cabbage for 30 minutes or
2. If you don’t have pickled cabbage you can use fresh cabbage. Take out the core from your cabbage and put them into a pot of boiling water with a splash of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt.
3. Boil them for about 10-15 minutes until soft. Drain them and set them aside to cool off. Once cold enough to handle take out the leafs gently and cut of the stem.
4. Finely chop your onions or put them through a meat grinder.
5. In a bowl add your meat, rice, egg, chopped onions, salt and pepper. Mix everything by hand until well combined.
6. Place your cabbage leaf on your hand and add 2 teaspoons of filling to the bottom of your cabbage leaf. Roll your cabbage around the meat until it’s surrounded by cabbage.
7. Now use your finger and push in the loose cabbage into the roll to seal it up. This  will take practice, but you’ll be a pro in no-time.
8. Keep going until you use up the meat. You will have cabbage left over, which is not a big deal.
9. Get a large pot and place a couple of cabbage leafs at the bottom and sprinkle your thyme loosely on top.
10. Place your Sarmale at the edge and form a circle. The middle will be empty for now.
11. Once filled chop up the rest of the cabbage, which is usually the tiny left over from the cabbage and place them in the middle.
12. Boil some hot water and set aside a bowl to dissolve the tomato paste in it. Pour it over your Sarmale and top the rest with water until it barely covers your cabbage rolls.
13. Place your pot on your stove and bring it to a boil. Once boiling set it to low and boil for 1-2 hours. Frequently check the water levels to prevent burning the bottom. -OR-
14. Set your oven to 180C (360F) and place your pot in it. Cook for 1-2 hours until the cabbage is not crunchy anymore. Watch the water content and add if too low.
15. Serve Sarmale with sour cream or malai (polenta).