Cooking Times

90 min
Prep Time
150 min
Cook Time
240 min
Total Time

Ingredients (12 items)

30.00 large leaves Pickled cabbage leaves
2.00 lbs Ground pork
1.00 lb Ground beef
1.00 cup Rice
uncooked
3.00 large Onions
finely diced
3.00 tbsp Tomato paste
0.50 lb Smoked bacon
diced
0.50 cup Dill
fresh, chopped
2.00 tsp Paprika
3.00 Bay leaves
2.00 cups Sour cream
for serving
2.00 cups Cornmeal
for mămăligă

Instructions (8 steps)

1
Sauté onions and bacon until golden. Cool slightly.
10 minutes
2
Mix pork, beef, rice, half the onion mixture, dill, paprika, salt.
3
Place spoonful of filling on each cabbage leaf. Roll tightly, tucking ends.
4
Line large pot with extra cabbage leaves. Layer sarmale tightly.
5
Mix tomato paste with water, pour over. Add bay leaves and remaining onions.
6
Weigh down with plate. Simmer covered for 2.5 hours.
150 minutes
7
Make mămăligă: cook cornmeal in salted water until thick porridge.
25 minutes
8
Serve sarmale hot with mămăligă and generous dollop of sour cream.