Greek Stuffed Grape Leaves

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Simple, meat-stuffed Grape leaves with rice and tomato, served with olive oil and lemon. Soft, meaty, and so flavorful!

Prep Time1 45

Cook Time1 30

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Servings: dolmades

Calories: 59kcal

If using brined grape leaves, soak them in a bowl with cold water for 10 minutes. Then drain them in a strainer.
If using fresh leaves, cook them in plenty of boiling water with 3-4 tablespoons of vinegar (red wine or white vinegar) for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with ice-cold water to cool, then drain in a strainer.
In both cases, trim any stems at the base of the leaves.

Add the ground meat, rice, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and butter to a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Knead the mixture well for a couple of minutes until fully combined. Make sure to break up the butter as you go.

Take a grape leaf and lay it flat on your palm with its smooth side facing down.
Add a spoonful of the filling to the center of the leaf. Overlap the bottom edge to partly cover the filling. Then fold inwards, the right and left sides. Fold on top 2 more times the remaining part of the leaf to create a hexagon.
Please See Notes Below.
Lay a couple of grape leaves to cover the bottom of a cooking pot.
Arrange the stuffed grape leaves on top, securely close together, with seam side down. Ideally, no more than 2 layers.
Pour the hot water or stock. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. Then open the lid slightly on the side and cook for about 30 minutes more until there's a thin layer of liquid left in the pot.
Whisk together the ⅓ cup of olive oil and ⅓ cup lemon juice. Pour most of it over the grape leaves and save some to drizzle on top when serving.
Allow them to sit in the pot for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Serve drizzled with olive oil and lemon, and some Greek yogurt on the side if you like.

The hexagon shape is the traditional shape they give on the island of Calymnos. If it's easier for you, you can roll them like a classic Dolma, as you can see here.
Also, keep in mind to adjust the filling slightly according to the size of each leaf. Some are larger, whereas some are smaller and require slightly less filling. Your stuffed grape leaves shouldn't look like they're about to explode. Keep also in mind that the rice will cook and increase in volume inside the filling.
You can also use 2 small leaves to make one Dolma by placing one partly on top of the other.