These Vegetarian stuffed grape leaves are a delicious Mediterranean dish! They are lemony, fresh, healthy, and filling. They can serve as an appetizer, a snack, or the main dish.
There are specific recipes that literally make me so excited that I feel like I can’t contain myself! As if I am about to jump out of my own skin with glee… This vegetarian stuffed grape leaves dish is one of those!
I tasted stuffed grape leaves when I was younger (in Israel), and honestly, wasn’t impressed. It’s a traditional Middle Eastern dish and a very popular one in Israel but I didn’t like it much. So I wrote off stuffed grape leaves as an okay dish but one that was worth wasting a meal on and really never ate it again.
Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe…
Then, on one of my visits to Israel lately, my mother made some stuffed grape leaves (she never made them before, the ones I tried as a child were from a restaurant) and asked that I try them. Knowing my mama’s capability for food magic I agreed and… ended up eating the whole pot!
Then, of course, I made her do the whole thing again so I could take a whole bunch of pictures and share this goodness with you. Cause I’m nice like that! And also because I wanted to eat another pot of vegetarian stuffed grape leaves but let’s just focus on how nice I am, OK? OK.
Ingredients…
- Jasmine rice – or another kind of short and round rice. You don’t want to use Basmati rice, for example because it’s long and skinny.
- Olive oil
- Boiling water
- Preserved grape leaves
- Celery leaves
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Onion
- Tomatoes
- Lemon juice
- Baharat – this is a popular Mediterranean spice blend. If you can’t get a hold of it, you can use Nutmeg instead.
- Salt
Kitchen Tools…
- Small pot to cook the rice in
- Measuring cups
- Mixing bowl
- Colander
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Lemon squeezer
- Wide and shallow pot
How to Make Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves…
Step one – make the rice. Do not wash the rice, we want the stickiness of the starch. To a small pot, add olive oil, rice, and boiling water. Cover the pot and set on the stovetop. Turn the heat to medium-high. Once the water comes back to a boil, lower the heat to low and cook until all the water is absorbed by the rice (took us about 17 minutes). Remove from the heat, uncover the pot, fluff the rice with a fork, and set it aside to cool.
Step two – prepare the grape leaves. Remove from the jar and discard the brine. Add the leaves to a large mixing bowl and cover them with boiling water to remove some of the taste of the brine and the saltiness. Let the leaves stay in the water for 15 minutes then discard the water, transfer the leaves to a colander, and wash the leaves well under cool water. Lastly, remove the little stem (if there is one) from each leaf (so it’s not in the way of folding and rolling the leaf).
Step three – prepare the rice mixture. Chop the leaves from three stalks of celery. Then chop a red onion, a tomato, and the leaves from one bunch of parsley and one bunch of cilantro. Transfer the cool rice to a large mixing bowl. Add all the chopped vegetables, then add the Baharat, salt, olive oil, and lemon juice. Mix well with your hands or a wooden spoon.
Step four – stuff and fold the grape leaves. Place one grape leaf on the cutting board. Close the gap that formed where the stem was by bringing the two sides of the leaf together. Place a tablespoon or so of the rice mixture on the leaf. Fold both sides of the leaf, then roll the leaf tight like a burrito. Try to make it tight so the leaves don’t break open when we cook them.
Step five – add stuffed leaves to the pot. Place thick slices of tomato on the bottom of the pot. As you roll the grape leaves, add them to the pot, on top of the tomato, in one layer. They should be placed tightly together. This will also help to keep them from opening as we cook them. If you need to add a few to a second layer, that’s fine.
Step Six – cook the stuffed grape leaves. Add the juice from one lemon, ¼ cup olive oil, salt (about a teaspoon), and enough water to cover the first layer of the grape leaves. Cover the pot, set on the stovetop, turn the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to low and cook for about an hour.
How to Serve Stuffed Grape Leaves…
- As the main dish – these vegetarian stuffed grape leaves are healthy and filling and can easily be the main dish of a meal. They can be served warm or cold. Serve them next to a salad like this Israeli beet salad, red cabbage salad, Mediterranean egg salad, or simple green beans. Or serve them next to fermented or pickled vegetables like fermented garlic scapes, fermented tomatoes, fermented green tomatoes, pickled green tomatoes, or pickled peppers.
- As an appetizer – you can serve these as a lemony, healthy appetizer.
- As a quick breakfast – Make a batch of stuffed grape leaves and store them in the fridge, then grab a few for breakfast.
- Take them outdoors with you – since they can be served cold and are very filling, they are great to take with you on a hike or for a picnic.
Options and Variations…
- Use fresh grape leaves – if you happen to have a grapevine and you want to use its leaves instead of the store-bought ones, make sure to check this article.
- Make it extra sour – add more lemon, baby! For me personally, nothing can ever be too sour.
- Use wild rice – I LOVE Lundberg Family Farms wild rice blend (I buy it from Walmart). My next mission in life is to make these vegetarian stuffed grape leaves with this rice blend.
- Add meat – if you want to make them meaty go ahead! They work great with ground beef or venison. Just brown some meat, let it cool, and add it to the rice mixture.
How to Store Leftovers…
- In the fridge – store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge. They should last for a few days. You can serve them cold right out of the fridge or reheat them in the microwave.
- Freeze – add the stuffed grape leaves to a freezer container and freeze. They should last for a year or more! When you are ready to serve, take the container out of the freezer and let the stuffed grape leaves thaw. Then serve at room temperature, or reheat in the microwave or in a pan with a little bit of water on the stovetop.
Frequently Asked Questions…
I wouldn’t. I think that it won’t turn out the same. But, of course, you can try.
Absolutely! In fact, I think that they taste even better a day or two after you make them because they have time to soak up all the lemony flavors. They are a great party food!
You can try. Maybe peppers or shredded carrots would work.
Yes! You can add fresh or dehydrated jalapenos or another kind of spicy pepper to the rice mixture, and/or you can add cayenne or ground chili pepper as seasoning to the rice mixture.
I know these require a bit of work, but let me tell you… They are so so worth it. If you like lemony, healthy, vegetarian food, these are for you. I really love that they can happily stay in the fridge for a few days and are so easy to grab. And I personally love eating these cold. I hope you’ll give them a try!
More Healthy Recipes…
- Lentil Patties Recipe
- Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers
- Mediterranean Pumpkin Soup Recipe
- Healthy Shakshuka Recipe
- Roasted Garlic Scapes
Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
Lemony, healthy, and delicious, vegetarian stuffed grape leaves.
Ingredients
Rice:
- 2 cups Jasmine rice (or another kind of short and round rice)
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 cups boiling water
Grape Leaves:
- 16 oz preserved grape leaves
- Boiling water
For the rice stuffing mixture:
- Leaves from three stalks of celery (I try to use the young leaves from the center of the celery), chopped finely
- Leaves from one bunch of parsley (remove stems), chopped finely
- Leaves from one bunch of cilantro (remove stems), chopped finely
- 1 medium-large red onion, diced finely
- 1 large tomatoes, diced finely
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Juice from one lemon
- 1 tablespoon Baharat - this is a popular Mediterranean spice blend. If you can’t get a hold of it, you can use Nutmeg instead
- ¾ tablespoon salt
For cooking the leaves:
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- Juice from one lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Water
Instructions
- Do not wash the rice, we want the stickiness of the starch. To a small pot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 cups of rice, and 2 cups of boiling water. Cover the pot and set it on the stovetop. Turn the heat to medium-high. Once the water comes back to a boil, lower the heat to low and cook until all the water is absorbed by the rice (took us about 17 minutes). Remove from the heat, uncover the pot, fluff the rice with a fork, and set it aside to cool.
- Remove the grape leaves from the jar and discard the brine. Add the leaves to a large mixing bowl and cover them with boiling water to remove some of the taste of the brine and the saltiness. Let the leaves stay in the water for 15 minutes then discard the water, transfer the leaves to a colander, and wash the leaves well under cool water. Lastly, remove the little stem (if there is one) from each leaf (so it’s not in the way of folding and rolling the leaf).
- Transfer the cool rice to a large mixing bowl. Add all the chopped celery leaves, parsley and cilantro leaves, diced red onion, and diced tomato, then add the Baharat, salt, olive oil, and lemon juice. Mix well with your hands or a wooden spoon.
- Place one grape leaf on the cutting board. Close the gap that formed where the stem was by bringing the two sides of the leaf together. Place a tablespoon or so of the rice mixture on the leaf. Fold both sides of the leaf, then roll the leaf tight like a burrito. Try to make it tight so the leaves don’t break open when we cook them.
- Place thick slices of tomato on the bottom of the pot. As you roll the grape leaves, add them to the pot, on top of the tomato, in one layer. They should be placed tightly together. This will also help to keep them from opening as we cook them. If you need to add a few to a second layer that’s fine.
- Add the juice from one lemon, ¼ cup olive oil, salt (about a teaspoon), and enough water to cover the first layer of the grape leaves. Cover the pot, set on the stovetop, turn the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to low and cook for about an hour.
Notes
Option and Variations:
- Use fresh grape leaves – if you happen to have a grapevine and you want to use its leaves instead of the store-bought ones, make sure to check this article: https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/files/266942.pdf
- Make it extra sour – add more lemon, baby! For me personally, nothing can ever be too sour.
- Use wild rice – I LOVE Lundberg Family Farms wild rice blend (I buy it from Walmart). My next mission in life is to make these vegetarian stuffed grape leaves with this rice blend.
- Add meat – if you want to make them meaty go ahead! They work great with ground beef or venison. Just brown some meat, let it cool, and add it to the rice mixture.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Can I double the recipe?
I wouldn’t. I think that it won’t turn out the same. But, of course, you can try. - Can I make these ahead?
Absolutely! In fact, I think that they taste even better a day or two after you make them because they have time to soak up all the lemony flavors. They are a great party food! - Can I add other kinds of vegetables in the stuffing?
You can try. Maybe peppers or shredded carrots can work. - Can I make this dish spicy?
Yes! You can add fresh or dehydrated jalapenos or another kind of spicy pepper to the rice mixture, and/or you can add cayenne or ground chili pepper as seasoning to the rice mixture.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1911mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 3g
Hi! I’m Lady Lee. I help homesteaders simplify their homesteading journey while still producing a ton of food! I am a single mother of four, I was born in Israel and raised in an agricultural commune called a Kibbutz. Now I homestead in central NC.