Freezer-Friendly Sarma
Tender fermented cabbage rolls filled with beef, pork and rice, then slowly baked in tomato sauce. Make a large batch and freeze in practical meal-sized portions.
By HomeChefs Kitchen Team · · No ratings yet
- Servings
- 8
- Preparation
- 45 min
- Cooking
- 150 min
Sarma made for batch cooking
This freezer-friendly sarma recipe makes 16 substantial cabbage rolls, enough for several family meals or neatly portioned lunches. A mixture of beef, pork and rice is wrapped in fermented cabbage leaves, then slowly baked in a paprika-spiked tomato sauce until the rolls are tender.
Fermented cabbage leaves vary in saltiness and firmness. Taste a small piece before filling them; if they are particularly salty or sharp, rinse them briefly under cold water and drain well. Shave down any thick central ribs so the leaves fold without splitting. Keep the rolls snugly packed with the seam underneath, as this helps them hold their shape while cooking.
For easy meal prep, freeze the sarma after cooking, with enough sauce to cover each portion. The liquid protects the cabbage and filling from drying out. Use containers sized for one meal rather than freezing the whole batch together. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then reheat gently in a covered saucepan or baking dish. Sarma can also be reheated from frozen; add a small splash of water, cover and allow extra time. Serve with mashed potatoes, crusty bread or a spoonful of sour cream.
Ingredients
- 16 largefermented cabbage leaves
- 30 mlsunflower oil
- 2 mediumonions, finely diced
- 4 clovesgarlic, finely chopped
- 150 glong-grain rice, rinsed and drained
- 500 gbeef mince
- 500 gpork mince
- 15 gflat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tspsweet paprika
- 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
- 500 mlpassata
- 500 mlbeef stock
- 2bay leaves
Method
Heat the oven to 170°C. Taste the fermented cabbage leaves and rinse briefly under cold water if they are very salty. Drain and pat dry. Trim the thick central rib from each leaf without cutting through the leaf.
Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 8 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then transfer the mixture to a large bowl and leave to cool slightly.
Add the rice, beef mince, pork mince, parsley, 1 teaspoon of the paprika and the black pepper to the onion mixture. Mix with clean hands until evenly combined, without compressing the filling too firmly.
Place a cabbage leaf on the work surface with the stem end towards you. Add roughly one-sixteenth of the filling near the base. Fold the sides over the filling, then roll away from you into a firm parcel. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.
Mix the passata, beef stock and remaining paprika in a large, deep casserole. Add the bay leaves, then arrange the rolls closely together with their seams facing down. The liquid should come most of the way up the rolls.
Cover the casserole and bake for 2 hours. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes, until the cabbage is very tender and the centre of the rolls reaches at least 71°C. Rest for 15 minutes before serving or portioning.
For freezing, divide the cooled rolls and sauce among meal-sized airtight containers. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat covered over low heat or in a 180°C oven until the centre reaches 74°C. If reheating from frozen, add a splash of water and allow extra time.
Food safety
- After handling the raw beef and pork, wash your hands and any utensils or surfaces that touched the filling.
- Cook the centre of the cabbage rolls to at least 71°C.
- Cool cooked sarma promptly and refrigerate or freeze it within 2 hours. Keep refrigerated portions for up to 3 days or frozen portions for up to 3 months.
- Reheat previously cooked sarma until the centre reaches 74°C.
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