Slow-Baked Traditional Sarma A Hearty Balkan Classic - Stuffed Sour Cabbage with Smoked Pork & Beans
- Total
- 3 h 30 min
- Prep / cook
- 30 / 180 min
- Servings
- 2
- Ingredients
- 9
- Per serving
- 562 kcal
Ingredients 9
Servings:
Sour Cabbage
1000
Gram
167.0
8.3g
45.0g
0.0g
White beans cooked
250
Gram
225.0
16.0g
30.0g
1.3g
White Rice
60
Gram
210.0
4.2g
46.8g
0.3g
Leek
40
Gram
24.4
0.6g
5.7g
0.1g
Bacon
30
Gram
162.3
11.1g
0.0g
12.5g
Pork lard
25
Gram
225.5
0.0g
0.0g
25.0g
Smoked cured pork loin
100
Gram
86.0
17.0g
1.1g
1.7g
Salt
4
Gram
0.0
0.0g
0.0g
0.0g
Sweet Ground Red Paprika (spice)
8
Gram
23.0
1.2g
5.0g
0.7g
Steps 3
Chef’s Pro-Tip
For an even richer flavor, let the Sarma rest for 20 minutes outside the oven before serving. This allows the sauce to thicken slightly and the rice to fully lock in all that smoky pork juice.
Introduction
Slow-Baked Traditional Sarma
A Hearty Balkan Classic: Stuffed Sour Cabbage with Smoked Pork & Beans
Prep Time: 45 min | Cook Time: 3.5 hrs | Servings: 6 | Difficulty: Intermediate
This is the ultimate Balkan comfort food. Hand-rolled sour cabbage leaves encasing a rich, smoky filling of cured pork loin, bacon, pre-cooked white beans, and San Andreas rice. Slow-baked for three hours and finished with a charred top, this dish is a warm hug on a plate. This is the recipe you save for a Sunday, letting the smoky aroma fill your home.
🛒 INGREDIENTS
The Wrapper
1500g Whole Sour Cabbage (Sauerkraut) leaves
The Hearty Filling
100g Smoked Cured Pork Loin, finely diced
30g Bacon, finely diced
250g White Beans, cooked (canned or jarred)
60g San Andreas White Rice, washed
40g Leek, cleaned and thinly sliced (half-moons)
25g Pork Lard
The Aromatics & Spices
8g Sika Sweet Ground Red Paprika
1/3 tsp Hot Pepper Flakes
4g Salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
👨🍳 INSTRUCTIONS
-
Sauté and Flavor the Filling In a large skillet or wide pot, melt the pork lard over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté for 10 minutes until very soft and translucent. Build the Smoke: Stir in the bacon and smoked pork loin. Sauté for 2 minutes to render the fat and release their smoky oils. Combine: Add the cooked beans and washed rice. Sauté for 3 minutes, allowing them to absorb the flavors. Season: Stir in the sweet paprika, salt, pepper, and hot pepper flakes. Let it cook for 1 minute to release the spice oils, then remove from heat. Allow the filling to cool for a few minutes before rolling.40 Gram Leek 30 Gram Bacon 25 Gram Pork lard 4 Gram Salt
-
Assemble the Sarma Prep the Pot: Grease the bottom of your heavy baking pot or Dutch oven with 1 teaspoon of pork lard. Layer the bottom with some whole sauerkraut leaves to prevent sticking. Roll: Prep the remaining leaves by cutting away the tough, hard center rib. Take 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of the filling, place it on a leaf, and roll it tightly, tucking in the ends. Layer: Pack the rolls tightly into the pot, seam-side down. Once all rolls are arranged, cover the entire top layer with the rest of your sauerkraut leaves. The Weight: Place a clean, ceramic plate upside down over the top layer of leaves to compress them.25 Gram Pork lard
-
The Slow-Baking Process The Deglaze: Go back to your filling skillet. Add water (three times the quantity of the rice you used, approx. 180ml or 3/4 cup). Deglaze the pan over low heat to pick up all the savory residue, then pour this liquid over the rolls in the baking pot. The Bake: Cover the pot with its lid. Place it into a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20-25 minutes until you hear the liquid beginning to boil. The Simmer: Lower the oven temperature to 150°C (300°F) and bake for a full 3 hours. The Crisp: Remove the lid and the ceramic plate. Set your oven to the grill/broil setting and bake for 15 minutes, until the top leaves are beautifully charred and crispy. Bon Appétit!
Cooking Video
Igor Gjozinski
3/9/2026
Updated on
5/7/2026
Public
Classification
Category:
Main Dish
Cuisine:
Not specified
Difficulty:
Medium
Servings:
2
Total Weight:
1517g
Time Breakdown
Preparation
30m
Cooking
3h 0m
Total Time
3h 30m
Nutrition
2
562
Calories
2
29.2 g
Protein
2
66.8 g
Carbs
2
20.8 g
Fat
Sugar:
10.7 g
Fiber:
20.9 g
Saturated Fat:
7.6 g
Unsaturated Fat:
11 g
Trans Fat:
0 g
Cholesterol:
16.5 mg
Sodium:
5843.7 mg
Calcium:
300 mg
Iron:
2mg
Potassium:
46.7mg
Salt:
2.4g
Slow-Baked Traditional Sarma A Hearty Balkan Classic - Stuffed Sour Cabbage with Smoked Pork & Beans
Created on 3/9/2026
Total Time:
3h 30m
Servings: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Main Dish
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| Calories: 562 | Protein: 29.2g | Carbs: 66.8g | Fat: 20.8g |
Ingredients
- 1000 Gram Sour Cabbage
- 250 Gram White beans cooked (use cooked white beans if you wand milder taste)
- 60 Gram White Rice
- 40 Gram Leek
- 30 Gram Bacon
- 25 Gram Pork lard
- 100 Gram Smoked cured pork loin
- 4 Gram Salt
- 8 Gram Sweet Ground Red Paprika (spice)
Instructions
Slow-Baked Traditional Sarma
A Hearty Balkan Classic: Stuffed Sour Cabbage with Smoked Pork & Beans
Prep Time: 45 min | Cook Time: 3.5 hrs | Servings: 6 | Difficulty: Intermediate
This is the ultimate Balkan comfort food. Hand-rolled sour cabbage leaves encasing a rich, smoky filling of cured pork loin, bacon, pre-cooked white beans, and San Andreas rice. Slow-baked for three hours and finished with a charred top, this dish is a warm hug on a plate. This is the recipe you save for a Sunday, letting the smoky aroma fill your home.
🛒 INGREDIENTS
The Wrapper
1500g Whole Sour Cabbage (Sauerkraut) leaves
The Hearty Filling
100g Smoked Cured Pork Loin, finely diced
30g Bacon, finely diced
250g White Beans, cooked (canned or jarred)
60g San Andreas White Rice, washed
40g Leek, cleaned and thinly sliced (half-moons)
25g Pork Lard
The Aromatics & Spices
8g Sika Sweet Ground Red Paprika
1/3 tsp Hot Pepper Flakes
4g Salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
👨🍳 INSTRUCTIONS
1. Sauté and Flavor the Filling
In a large skillet or wide pot, melt the pork lard over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté for 10 minutes until very soft and translucent.
Build the Smoke: Stir in the bacon and smoked pork loin. Sauté for 2 minutes to render the fat and release their smoky oils.
Combine: Add the cooked beans and washed rice. Sauté for 3 minutes, allowing them to absorb the flavors.
Season: Stir in the sweet paprika, salt, pepper, and hot pepper flakes. Let it cook for 1 minute to release the spice oils, then remove from heat. Allow the filling to cool for a few minutes before rolling.
2. Assemble the Sarma
Prep the Pot: Grease the bottom of your heavy baking pot or Dutch oven with 1 teaspoon of pork lard. Layer the bottom with some whole sauerkraut leaves to prevent sticking.
Roll: Prep the remaining leaves by cutting away the tough, hard center rib. Take 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of the filling, place it on a leaf, and roll it tightly, tucking in the ends.
Layer: Pack the rolls tightly into the pot, seam-side down. Once all rolls are arranged, cover the entire top layer with the rest of your sauerkraut leaves.
The Weight: Place a clean, ceramic plate upside down over the top layer of leaves to compress them.
3. The Slow-Baking Process
The Deglaze: Go back to your filling skillet. Add water (three times the quantity of the rice you used, approx. 180ml or 3/4 cup). Deglaze the pan over low heat to pick up all the savory residue, then pour this liquid over the rolls in the baking pot.
The Bake: Cover the pot with its lid. Place it into a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20-25 minutes until you hear the liquid beginning to boil.
The Simmer: Lower the oven temperature to 150°C (300°F) and bake for a full 3 hours.
The Crisp: Remove the lid and the ceramic plate. Set your oven to the grill/broil setting and bake for 15 minutes, until the top leaves are beautifully charred and crispy.
Bon Appétit!
Notes
Chef’s Pro-Tip
For an even richer flavor, let the Sarma rest for 20 minutes outside the oven before serving. This allows the sauce to thicken slightly and the rice to fully lock in all that smoky pork juice.
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