Deconstructed Dolmades (Unstuffed Grape Leaves) recipe

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Ingredients

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
½ (9 ounce) jar grape leaves, drained and rinsed
water to cover
1 pound lean ground beef
6 cups chicken broth, or more as needed
2 ½ large lemons, juiced, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dried mint
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch, or as needed

Nutrition Info

506.7 calories
carbohydrate: 54.7 g
cholesterol: 77.6 mg
fat: 21.1 g
fiber: 5 g
protein: 27.9 g
saturatedFat: 6.8 g
servingSize: -
sodium: 3025.4 mg
sugar: 3.1 g
transFat: : -
unsaturatedFat: : -

Directions

  1. Soak rice in a bowl of cool water for 15 to 30 minutes.

  2. Coarsely chop the grape leaves and place in fresh water to soak.

  3. Heat a 2- to 3-quart pan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease. Add broth, juice of 1 lemon, onion, parsley, olive oil, mint, dill, pepper, and salt. Drain grape leaves and add to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

  4. Rinse and drain rice, then add to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Gradually add more chicken broth as needed keep liquid level above the meat-rice mixture. Be careful not to overcook the rice.

  5. Drain cooking liquid into another pan to make the sauce. Add remaining lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Mix in enough cornstarch until sauce resembles a medium-bodied gravy. Ladle sauce generously over the meat-rice mixture.

Recipe Yield

4 servings

Recipe Note

My family loves my dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) but they are a bit too much effort for a weeknight dinner. I recently tried deconstructing them and was very happy with the results. I hope you like them too.

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