Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Your Friends Will Love! Croatian Sarma

ground meat

🥗Healthier: lean turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Lean turkey reduces fat content while ground pork is often less expensive.

smoked bacon

🥗Healthier: turkey bacon

💰Cheaper: pancetta

Turkey bacon offers a lower fat option, while pancetta is a more affordable alternative.

sour cream

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: plain yogurt

Greek yogurt maintains creaminess with fewer calories, while plain yogurt is usually less expensive.

broth

🥗Healthier: vegetable broth

💰Cheaper: water with seasoning

Vegetable broth is lower in calories, and seasoned water can be a budget-friendly substitute.

Cut the cabbage core in a circular pattern and start removing the leaves. You'll need about 20 leaves.

Chop the rest of the cabbage for covering the bottom of the cooking pot.

If the cabbage is very sour and/or salty, wash the leaves briefly under cold water.

If the leaves have pronounced hardy veins, remove them with a sharp knife.

Prepare a bigger cooking pot by coating the bottom with a thin layer of lard.

Add the chopped cabbage and a few extra leaves that won't be used for making the rolls to the pot.

Mince the onion.

Prepare 850 g ground meat (pork + beef) and add 60 g white rice, 35 g bread crumbs, 3 cloves of minced garlic, minced onion, 2 teaspoons sweet paprika powder, 1/3 teaspoon black ground pepper, 1 teaspoon hot paprika powder, 12 g salt, and 1 egg.

Mix everything well using your hand. You may add some mineral water to make the meat more tender.

Shape the meat stuffing with your hands, place it at the bottom of the cabbage leaf, and make a tight roll.

Layer the sarma rolls tightly next to each other seam-side down in the cooking pot.

Add a piece of dried meat (if using) and cover with a few additional leaves.

Pour in water so that the sarma is completely covered.

Put some load on it, like a smaller lid or an old ceramic plate, to prevent the sarma rolls from unrolling during cooking.

Bring to a boil and let it cook for at least 2-2.5 hours.

When the sarma is cooked, make the roux by melting 1.5 tablespoons of lard in a pan.

Add the same amount of all-purpose flour and stir until it becomes light golden in color.

Turn off the heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika powder and 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika powder.

Add the roux to the sarma and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Serve.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens