Middle Eastern-style cabbage rolls
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Middle Eastern-style cabbage rolls

By Sara Buenfeld

Add this vegan dish to your repertoire. We've filled cabbage leaves with satisfying brown rice and lentils along with mint, lemon, tahini and pine nuts

  • Prep:20 mins
    Cook:1 hrs
  • Serves 4
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 463
  • fat 19g
  • saturates 2g
  • carbs 51g
  • sugars 11g
  • fibre 14g
  • protein 16g
  • salt 0.8g

Ingredients

  • 16 large Savoy cabbage leaves, stems trimmed (430g prepared weight)
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 2 large onions (360g), finely chopped
  • 40g pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1½ tsp cinnamon
  • 150g brown basmati rice
  • 1½ tbsp vegetable bouillon powder
  • 390g can green lentils, drained
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 4 tbsp chopped mint
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated
  • 6 tomatoes, sliced
  • ¼ cucumber (150g), sliced
  • 12 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
  • 1 tbsp chopped mint

Tip

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Method

  1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the cabbage leaves and put a heavy ladle on top to keep them submerged. Boil for 4 mins, then drain, reserving the water.

  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Reserve 2 tbsp of the onion, then fry the rest for 10 mins until just golden. Stir in the pine nuts and cook until starting to colour. Add the spices and rice, then pour in 450ml of the reserved water. Stir in the bouillon powder, cover and cook for 15 mins until the rice is almost tender and the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the zest and mint.

  3. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put a spoonful of the rice into the centre of a cabbage leaf, roll up and put in a shallow casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining rice and leaves. Cover and bake for 30 mins until the rice is fully tender.

  4. Meanwhile, combine the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and 3 tbsp water, and mix the salad ingredients with the reserved onion. If you're following our Healthy Diet Plan, serve half the rolls with half of the sauce and half of the salad. Cover and chill the rest to eat another day. Will keep in the fridge for two to three days. Reheat in the microwave until hot.

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