Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Beef & Rice and Tomato Sauce - Lahana Sarma

If you know me, you know I have a thing for stuffed veggies and lahana sarması is peak. Seriously, alongside other sarmas and dolmas, this one tops the list for me. The word sarma comes from sarmak, which literally means “to wrap”. For this recipe, I used napa cabbage, but don’t be afraid to experiment! Green cabbage, savoy, or even red cabbage all work beautifully. Personally, I love cabbage so much that I eat it multiple times a week: in soups, stews, you name it.

The recipe in the video serves about 6-8 people. You don't see it in the video, but this recipe makes about 2 times what you see in the video. So if you want it to just be one pot, make sure to divide ALL the ingredients by TWO.

Ingredients

Here's the full recipe in HALF:

✿ For the filling

140- 200 grams minced meat

1 small/medium onion, diced

1 cup dolma pilav (long grain rice)

1 cup fine bulgur

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp vegeta powder

1 tbsp dried mint

1 tsp black pepper

1-2 tsp turkish chili flakes (or any chili)

4-6 tbsp olive oil

1/2 can crushed tomato (ours was home made)

napa cabbage

✿ For the sauce

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/3 tbsp red pepper paste

1 tsp Turkish chili flakes

Note: add more or less chili flakes based on how spicy you want it to be