Dolmathakia me Kima: Stuffed Grape Leaves With Meat and Rice

Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 70 mins
Soak: 13 mins
Total: 2 hrs 8 mins
Servings: 10 to 15 servings
Yield: 65 to 70 pieces

These bundles of meat and rice wrapped in rolled grape leaves are a favorite dish in GreeceDolmathakia me kima, or ντολμαδάκια με κιμά in Greek, is pronounced dohl-mah-THAHK-yah meh kee-MAH.

The name comes from the Turkish word dolma, meaning "stuffed;" and aki means "little one," so a dolmathakia is literally a little-stuffed wrap. You will find them as part of a mezze platter, alongside a Greek salad, or served as a side dish.

You can make this recipe with large grape leaves, which obviously results in a larger meat and rice package, making them ideal for a filling lunch or light dinner. Since they are time- and labor-intensive to make, this recipe is a pretty large quantity. You can store the stuffed grape leaves in the refrigerator for several days, or freeze them for later use.

A traditional accompaniment for dolmathakia is avgolemono, a sauce made of eggs and lemon juice. 

Stuffed grape leaves

The Spruce

"The stuffed grape leaves were tasty with nice lemon flavor. My jar of grape leaves had about 68 large leaves, and only 2 or 3 were ripped. I served the stuffed grape leaves with avgolemono sauce, and they were delicious." —Diana Rattray

Stuffed Grape leaves Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Grape Leaves:

  • 8 cups water

  • 1/2 lemon, juiced

  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

  • 1 (16-ounce) jar grape leaves in brine (about 70 leaves)

For the Filling:

  • 1 cup short-grain rice, uncooked

  • 2 medium to large onions, finely chopped

  • 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

  • 2 pounds lean ground beef, or lamb, or a mixture of both

  • 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon mint leaves, chopped

  • 2 1/2 lemons, juiced, divided

  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 cups water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe ingredients
     The Spruce
  2. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot, and add the juice of 1/2 lemon and the salt. Carefully unroll the leaves (do not separate them). Turn off the heat and place the leaves in the hot water for 3 minutes.

    Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe
     The Spruce
  3. Remove the leaves and place them in a bowl and cover with cold water. When cooled, drain in a colander. It is not unusual for many of the outer leaves in the jar to be damaged or to tear while using. Set these aside to use later in the recipe.

    Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe
     The Spruce
  4. To prepare the filling, start by soaking the rice for 10 minutes in hot water and drain. (Alternatively, sauté the rice with the onion.)

    Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe
     The Spruce
  5. Sauté the onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent, not browned.

    Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe
     The Spruce
  6. In a bowl, combine the onion, ground beef, rice, remaining olive oil, dill, mint, juice of 1 lemon, salt, and pepper. Mix well by hand.

    Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe
     The Spruce
  7. To fill and roll the leaves, gently separate one leaf and place it shiny-side down on a work surface. Place a heaping teaspoon (or more depending on the size of the leaf) of the filling on the leaf at the point where the stem joins the leaf.

    Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe
     The Spruce
  8. Fold up the bottom of the leaf over the filling, then each side inward in parallel folds, and roll up the leaf. The roll should be firm, not tight, as the filling will expand during cooking. Repeat until all the filling has been used.

    Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe
     The Spruce
  9. Because the leaves on the bottom can burn while the filling cooks, put a plate or wooden souvlaki skewers in the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot (see tip below). The plate should fit snugly in the pot.

    Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe
     The Spruce
  10. If there are unused leaves or leaves that were torn and not used during the filling process, put them on the plate or on top of the skewers. Place the dolmathakia on top, packing them closely together (not squashed), seam side down, so they don't unroll during cooking. Layer them until all are in the pot (two to three layers are best, but no more than four layers). Place several unused leaves over the top.

    Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe
     The Spruce
  11. Take another plate and place it upside down on top of the dolmathakia, using something to weigh it down (a second plate works well). Add the 2 cups of water to the pot and cover. Bring the water to a gentle boil, add the remaining juice from the 1 1/2 lemons, reduce heat to low, and simmer for approximately 50 to 70 minutes. Check to see if done—if the rice has cooked, they are done. If not, continue cooking for another 10 minutes and check again. Cooking time depends both on the type of pot used and the particular stovetop heating element.

    Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe
     The Spruce
  12. If preferred, you can use a pressure cooker. No plates are needed but do use the skewers in the bottom. Pack the dolmathakia into the pressure cooker, add the 2 cups of water, close and cook for 15 to 20 minutes at the first pressure mark.

    Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe
     The Spruce

Tips

  • If you don't have skewers or a plate that fits the bottom of the pot, line the bottom of the pan with unused or torn leaves.
  • Leftover filling can be used to make stuffed vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and eggplant.
  • To make stuffed grape leaves as a main course, use the largest grape leaves and increase the amount of filling in each leaf to 1 tablespoon.
  • Individual servings of dolmathakia are four to five pieces on small plates as an appetizer; however, they can also be eaten as a side or main dish (especially when larger leaves are used). Serve dolmathakia warm or at room temperature with avgolemono (egg and lemon sauce), lemon wedges, tzatziki, or plain yogurt on the side.
  • If you plan to make avgolemono sauce to go with the dolmathakia, you may want to reserve some of the cooking liquid.

How to Store and Freeze

  • Refrigerate leftover stuffed grape leaves in airtight containers for up to four days.
  • To freeze leftover dolmathakia, transfer them to zip-close freezer bags or airtight containers and freeze for up to three months.
  • Steam or microwave leftover refrigerated or frozen stuffed grape leaves to 165 F, the minimum safe temperature for cooked leftovers.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
225 Calories
12g Fat
10g Carbs
19g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 15
Amount per serving
Calories 225
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 16%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 54mg 18%
Sodium 1205mg 52%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 4%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 19g
Vitamin C 15mg 77%
Calcium 111mg 9%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 326mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)