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Easy Stuffed Cabbage (Romanian Sarmale, Traditional and Vegetarian)

Romanian Sarmale is a traditional dish made with ground beef, rice, onions, and spices. This vegetarian version has mushrooms instead of meat for an easy but filling dinner meal.
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Course Main Course
Cuisine Romanian
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Traditional (Meat) Ingredients:

  • 2 large onions
  • 1 TBS of Paprika
  • 1 TBS ground pepper
  • 2 TBS salt
  • 1¼ cup rice any kind you would like
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 1 cup of water
  • 10 oz or 8oz of tomato sauce
  • 2 lbs ground pork
  • 2 lbs ground chuck/beef
  • 1 bag sour krout 1 pound
  • 2 large cabbage savoy
  • 4 oz bacon

Vegetarian Ingredients:

  • 1 large onion
  • 1 TBS of Paprika
  • 1 TBS ground pepper
  • 2 TBS salt
  • ¾ cup of rice any kind you would like
  • 8 oz tomato paste
  • 1 cup of water
  • 10 oz or 8oz of tomato sauce
  • 3 8 oz packs of mushrooms
  • 1 bag sour krout 1 pound
  • 1 large cabbage savoy

Instructions
 

Before Filling & Rolling:

  • Core cabbage
  • Add to boiling water for 5 minutes
  • Start peeling off leaves as they fall off – If not tender to remove, keep in water until they fall off

For Traditional (Meat) Stuffed Cabbage –

  • Sautee onions
  • Mix in paprika for another min
  • Mix in pepper and 1 tablespoon salt
  • Mix in tomato paste
  • Mix in rice & once all mixed, take off heat to cool
  • Combine meats and rice mixture together
  • Add a tablespoon of salt & 1 cup of water to the meat/rice mixture
  • Cut Cabbage leaves into two (remove the spine)
  • Put half of one leaf on a board and take your filling mixture and make a long oval into your hand, put that on the cabbage leaf and roll it & tuck at the end *see video for how this is done. Repeat these two steps until you are done with cabbage and/or meat filling
  • Take a large pot and add oil and 1 bag of sour krout & on top of that 4 oz of bacon* (Bacon for traditional)
  • Arrange cabbage in a circular formation until 2 inches from the top
  • Pour a cup of water with a cup of 8 oz of tomato sauce on top of everything
  • Put any extra leaves on top
  • Cover & watch until boils (medium-high) then put to medium-low for about an hour/hour and 1/2

For Vegetarian Option:

  • Sautee onions
  • Mix in paprika for another min
  • Mix in pepper and 1 tablespoon salt
  • Mix in tomato paste
  • Mix in rice & once all mixed, take off heat to cool
  • Sautee mushrooms & add to rice mixture
  • Add a tablespoon of salt and 3/4 of a cup of water to the mushroom/rice mixture
  • Follow the same stops 8-14 as above, serve, & enjoy!

Video

Keyword sarmale, vegetarian