- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total time
- 50 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
- Calories
- 500 kcal
Quick summary
“Sarmale with Rice and Meat is a delicious traditional Moldovan recipe, full of flavors and aromas. It is a great option for those looking for unique and healthy flavors.”
What you need to know
- Tasty and nutritious, the recipe offers a combination of striking flavors.
- Practical and quick to prepare, ideal for those looking to cook without great effort.
- The use of quality ingredients results in a quality dish.
- The mixture of sarmale with rice and meat provides a complete and nutritious dish.
Ingredients
Main
- 1 large cabbage
- 500g of ground meat (beef or pork)
- 1 cup of rice
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tomates maduros picados
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Principal
- In a large pot, boil water and add the cabbage, letting it cook until the leaves are soft.
- While the cabbage cooks, heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion until translucent.
- Add the ground meat and cook until browned, then mix the rice and chopped tomatoes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove the leaves from the cooked cabbage and cut the hard part of the stem.
- Place a spoonful of the meat and rice mixture on each cabbage leaf, roll like a cigar, and secure with a toothpick.
- Place the sarmales in a pan, alternating with cabbage leaves on the bottom so they don't stick.
- Add the bay leaves and a little water to the pan, covering the sarmales.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 2 hours.
- Serve hot, accompanied by good heavy cream.
Chef's tips
- To improve the flavor, you can add some cubes of grated cheese at the end of cooking the sarmales.
- To avoid the sarmales from sticking, you can place a lettuce leaf over each sarmale before placing it in a baking dish.
- To save time, you can prepare the meat and rice mixture ahead and use it when assembling the sarmales.
Variations
- For a lighter version, you can replace the rice with chickpeas.
- For a stronger flavor, you can add a few cubes of mozzarella cheese at the end of cooking.
- For a healthier version, one can replace olive oil with coconut oil and wheat flour with whole brown rice flour.
Substitutions
- For those who do not like meat, you can substitute with ground chicken.
- Instead of rice, you can use wheat flour to make brown rice.
- For those who don't like cabbage, you can replace it with chopped carrots.
How to store
The Sarmale recipe with rice and meat should not be stored, as the dish can stick to the pan. To store, it is recommended to serve hot and consume the same day.
Can it be frozen?
- It is not recommended to freeze the recipe, as the sarmales stick to the pan and lose part of the flavor and texture.
- If desired, you can freeze the meat and rice mixture separately to reuse in the future.
- When thawing, it is recommended to heat the flavor separately before serving.
What to serve with
- The recipe is served hot, accompanied by good heavy cream.
- To complement, one can serve a fresh green leaf salad.
- For a more traditional version, the recipe can be served accompanied by brown rice and cassava flour farofa.
Frequently asked questions
How can I prepare the meat and rice mixture separately?
Just mix the ground beef, rice, and chopped tomatoes in a pan, sprinkle salt and pepper, mix well, and cook for a few minutes. After cooking, let it cool and reserve.
Can cheese be added to the recipe?
Yes, you can add grated cheese at the end of cooking the sarmales for more flavor.
Can any type of meat be used for this recipe?
The meat can be of any type, but the flavor of the recipe will be slightly different depending on the type of meat used.
How can I ensure the sarmales do not stick to the pan?
Place a lettuce leaf over each sarmale before placing in a pan. This helps prevent the sarmales from sticking to the pan.
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