Sarma with beef and pork ground meat
Igor Gjozinski
3/9/2025
Updated on
5/7/2026
Public
Classification
Category:
Main Dish
Cuisine:
Macedonian
Difficulty:
Hard
Servings:
6
Total Weight:
2978g
Time Breakdown
Preparation
20m
Cooking
2h 30m
Total Time
2h 50m
Nutrition
6
476
Calories
6
34.1 g
Protein
6
31.7 g
Carbs
6
24.6 g
Fat
Sugar:
6.8 g
Fiber:
9.1 g
Saturated Fat:
9 g
Unsaturated Fat:
14.1 g
Trans Fat:
0 g
Cholesterol:
107.8 mg
Sodium:
3713.9 mg
Calcium:
205.8 mg
Iron:
1.4mg
Potassium:
407.9mg
Salt:
0g
Ingredients 10
Servings:
Pork fat
15
Gram
95.7
1.0g
0.0g
10.2g
Ground Beef
500
Gram
1240.0
128.5g
0.0g
76.8g
Ground Pork
200
Gram
526.0
33.8g
0.0g
42.4g
Onion
60
Gram
27.0
0.6g
6.6g
0.0g
Leek
50
Gram
30.5
0.8g
7.1g
0.2g
Sour Cabbage
2000
Gram
334.0
16.6g
90.0g
0.0g
Sweet Ground Red Paprika (spice)
10
Gram
28.7
1.5g
6.3g
0.9g
Black pepper
3
Gram
7.7
0.3g
2.0g
0.1g
Bacon
40
Gram
216.4
14.8g
0.0g
16.7g
White Rice
100
Gram
350.0
7.0g
78.0g
0.5g
Cooking Instructions
Classic Cabbage Rolls (Sarma)
A timeless comfort food featuring a rich meat and rice filling, seasoned with paprika and slow-cooked to perfection.
Instructions
1. Sauté the Base
Dice the onion and slice the leek into circles.
In a 28 cm skillet, sauté them over medium heat for 10–15 minutes until soft and slightly browned.
2. Prepare the Filling
Add 1 tbsp of sweet paprika flakes and ½ tsp of garlic powder to the onions. Sauté for 1 minute.
Add the ground meat. Sauté while breaking up any lumps until the liquid has evaporated.
Season with salt, ground sweet paprika, and black pepper.
Stir in 1 cup of washed white rice and sauté on low heat for 3 minutes.
3. Wrap the Sarma
Prepare your cabbage leaves. If they are very large, cut them in half and remove any thick ribs.
Place 1 to 1.5 tbsp of the filling onto each leaf. Roll them tightly, folding the sides inward to secure the mixture.
4. The Slow Cook
Pack the rolls tightly next to each other in a circular pattern in a large pot.
Cover the top of the rolls with a few extra cabbage leaves and place an inverted plate over them to keep them submerged.
Pour in 3 glasses of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 120 minutes (2 hours).
5. Finishing Touch (Optional)
For a slightly roasted finish, remove the lid and the plate, and place the pot in the oven for 15 minutes at 200°C.
You could watch the video attached to the recipe titled "Slow-Baked Traditional Sarma A Hearty Balkan Classic: Stuffed Sour Cabbage with Smoked Pork & Beans. https://fitsate.com/Kitchen/Recipes/Details/d1baa7ff-f850-49ef-9699-3c21772b0d08
Changes you should make for this recipe: 1. Add diced onion together with the leak. 2. Instead of white beans add the minced meat and fry it until there is no liquid remained. Don't over cook it. Meat color should be dark pink to light brown. 2. Don't use tomato sauce. Everting else is the same.