Vegetarian Grape Leaves
A juicy vegetarian dish made in the instant pot that will fill you up, but leaves you wanting more.
Servings: 24 servings
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
Grape Leaves and Stuffing
- 1 jar pickled grape leaves
- 1 ½ cups short grain rice uncooked
- 3 medium tomatoes finely diced
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 bunches curly parsley finely, chopped
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon seven spices (all spice) or use black pepper instead (also very delicious)
- ½ tablespoon dried mint
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 large lemon juice or 1 teaspoon citric acid
Broth
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ½ cup water
- ⅙ teaspoon seven spices (all spice) or black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1 lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid
Instructions
- Remove the grape leaves from their jar. Place them in a strainer and wash them then place over a bowl or a place to drain while you use them to roll.
- Mix together in a large bowl the washed short-grain rice, dices tomatoes, onions, chopped parsley, olive oil, salt, seven spices, mint, and lemon. Taste it and adjust the salt if needed.
- First, cut the small stem off the grape leaf then lay it flat on a hard surface, rough side facing up, facing you. Fill with about ½ tablespoon of stuffing horizontally and with your hands shape the stuffing.
- Fold over the grape leaf to cover the stuffing and roll in once tightly.
- Then, fold in from the left and right and continue rolling tightly. Place it in the instant pot or you can place it on a regular stovetop to cook over the stove.
- In a bowl, add the 'broth mixture' ingredients listed above then mix and pour over the rolled leaves placed in the pot.
- Set pressure cooker on brown rice mode for 18 minutes high.
- Serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Note 1: You have to wrap the grape leaves tightly after you put the stuffing. But, do not roll it too tight because the rice needs to expand as it cooks.
Note 2: If not available, you can switch out dried mint for fresh mint.
Note 3: You can also substitute red or white onions with scallions.
Note 4: Instead of seven spices, you can use black pepper, or use both.
Note 5: You can use rice of your choice. But the vegetarian stuffing for grape leaves works great with short-grain rice.
Note 6: If you don't have curly parsley, flat-leaf parsley will do just fine.
Note 7: Lay about 6 leaves at once and place filling on each and roll one by one for quicker results.
Note 8: If you have extra room in your pot, have extra stuffing, and some zucchini on hand, then try the following. Core your zucchini, stuff it with the vegetarian stuffing and line your pot with it.
Note 9: To cook over the stovetop, follow the same steps but add 1 cup of water to the broth. Bring to a low boil, then cover and simmer them for 45 minutes.
Check out these steps to perfectly prepare the vegetarian grape leaves.
Prepare the stuffing of well-seasoned rice and chopped veggies.
Put the stuffing on the rough side of the leaf and start rolling.
Tightly roll the leaf over the stuffing, but not too tight!
Stack them in the pot and pour the broth over the pot.
Bon Appetit!
Put the stuffing on the rough side of the leaf and start rolling.
Tightly roll the leaf over the stuffing, but not too tight!
Stack them in the pot and pour the broth over the pot.
Bon Appetit!