Easy Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale)

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5 from 19 votes

Easy Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale)

A great recipe to feed a crowd, take it to potlucks and family reunions.

Prep Time1

Cook Time2 45

Total Time3 45

Course: Meat and Poultry

Cuisine: Romanian

Servings: servings

Calories: 228kcal

Author: Gabriela

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork or a mixture of pork and beef
1 large onion diced
1 cup Arborio rice uncooked
½ teaspoon salt
3-4 dried bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 head of sour cabbage (sauerkraut) or a large jar of cabbage leaves
1 cup tomato juice
½ cup tomato paste
2 cups water or enough to cover the cabbage rolls
Optional: ½ pound bacon chopped

Instructions

Make the filling:

In a large bowl place together ground meat, diced onions, rice, thyme, ground pepper and marjoram. Mix everything really well. Set aside.

Make the cabbage rolls:

Prepare the cabbage leaves by removing the core. If the leaves are too large cut them in half.
Grab a cabbage leaf and place one tablespoon of meat mixture on it. Wrap the meat inside the cabbage leaf to obtain a neat roll.
Place shredded cabbage on the bottom of the pot, then start adding the rolls.
Optional, add a layer of chopped bacon over each layer of rolls.
Fill up the pot with cabbage rolls, then mix together the tomato juice and the paste and pour it over the rolls.
Add water to cover the rolls.
The final layer should be shredded cabbage.(use leftover cabbage)
Sprinkle more bacon, thyme and bay leaves and cover with a lid.
Bake in the oven at 350F for about 2 hours.
Remove the lid and allow the cabbage rolls to bake for another 30-45 minutes. You might notice the water evaporated, so you can add a little bit more, but do not fill up the pot again.
Serve them warm with a dollop of sour cream on top, fresh bread or polenta and hot peppers.

Notes

Make cabbage rolls in the Crockpot: Follow the same method of making the rolls, but cook them in the crockpot on "Low" from 6-8 hours, or 4-5 hours on "high".

Make cabbage rolls in the Instant Pot: Follow the recipe as I described it. Close the pot and press the "Pressure Cook"manual button setting the time for about 18-20 minutes. Do a natural pressure release.

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