These meat stuffed grape leaves are about to become your new favorite go-to for weekend dinners and special occasions. With their perfect blend of Mediterranean flavors, these delightful parcels offer a culinary experience that’s both rich and wonderfully satisfying.

Here is Why This Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe Works

Full of Flavor: Between the zesty lemon juice, fragrant fennel, and spices, each bite is a burst of tastiness.
Versatile: Whether you prefer beef, lamb, or chicken, this recipe has room for your favorite protein.
Comfort and Sophistication: It’s a dish that feels both homey and gourmet, perfect for weeknight dinners or special occasions.
Nutrient-Packed: With a base of cannellini beans, it’s not just taste you’re getting, but also a good dose of protein and fiber.

Ingredients for Meat Filled Grape Leaves

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for this recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.

Meat: Ground beef, lamb, or chicken.
Produce: Fennel bulb, onion, scallions, lemons, mint.
Pantry: Dried cannellini beans, uncooked rice, Olive oil, tomato paste, chicken broth, and cornstarch.
Pantry Seasonings: Sea salt, bay leaf, Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes.
Additional: Preserved grape leaves.

Ingredient Substitutions

You can use fresh grape leaves instead of preserved if you have access to them.
Substitute Aleppo pepper with a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat.
You can use any white bean in place of cannellini beans.

How to Make Meat Stuffed Greek Grape Leaves

Here is a brief overview to get an idea of what to expect with the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.

Prepare and cook the beans.
Make the meat filling mixture.
Prepare the grape leaves.
Assemble the stuffed grape leaves.
Cook the meat filled grape leaves and beans together in a pot.

How to Wrap Stuffed Grape Leaves

Prep the Grape Leaves: Pat the grape leaves dry. If the leaves have stems, snip them off with kitchen scissors. Lay the leaves on the surface, shiny side down with the stem end facing you.
Add the Filling: Place a small spoonful of the meat mixture in the center of the leaves, but closer to the stem end.
Begin Folding: Fold the stem end of the leaves up and over the filling.
Fold the Sides: Next, fold over the sides of the leaf to enclose the filling. Think of this step as wrapping a small gift: the sides of the leaves should neatly overlap the filling.
Roll It Up: Starting from the stem end where the filling is wrapped, begin to roll the leaf away from you. Aim for a tight roll, but don’t squeeze so hard that the filling bursts out.
Seam Side Down: Place the rolled leaves, seam-side down, into your cooking pot on top of the bed of beans.

Recipe Variations

Ready to switch things up a bit? While traditional stuffed dolma grape leaves typically feature meat and rice wrapped in tender leaves, we’ve got a variety of creative twists that are sure to elevate your next appetizer spread. You can use fresh grape vine leaves or canned leaves. However, if you use fresh leaves you will want to blanch them first.

Beef and Mushroom Stuffed Grape Leaves:

Swap out half of the ground beef for finely chopped mushrooms.
Use thyme, oregano, and garlic in the meat filling.

Lebanese Grape Leaves with Chickpeas:

Replace the cannelloni beans with chickpeas.
Add spices like allspice and cumin to the beef mixture.
Cook in a tomato-based sauce instead of broth and lemon juice.

Warak Enab with Quinoa and Pine Nuts:

Replace the rice with cooked quinoa for a protein-packed twist.
Add pine nuts for extra crunch and flavor.
Use typical Middle Eastern spices like cumin and a hint of cinnamon to keep the flavors of warak enab.

Storage

Place leftover stuffed grape leaves in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for up to a month.

This meat-stuffed grape leaves recipe is more than just a dish; it’s an invitation to experience rich flavors and textures. Perfect for both casual and formal settings, these stuffed grape leaves bring a unique flair to your table. Plus, it’s a versatile recipe that allows you to experiment and make it your own.

If you like this recipe, try our vegetarian Greek dolmades. They are packed with rice, fresh mint, pine nuts, and currants. They make a great snack or even a meatless vegetarian meal. You can’t go wrong with them.

Check out More Greek Recipes:

Recipe adapted from: The Foods of the Greek Islands, by A. Kremezi

Connect With Savor the Best:

Please follow us on our social media accounts

Facebook * Instagram * Pinterest * Youtube * Twitter

Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you. Drop us a comment below.

Meat Filled Grape Leaves with Cannelloni Beans

These meat stuffed grape leaves (dolmas) are filled with your choice of ground meat (beef, lamb, and chicken). They get simmered with cannelloni beans that soak up all the flavorful juices and make these dolmades a full meal. All you need is a salad and maybe some crusty bread for a fabulous Mediterranean dinner.

5 from 11 votes

Print Pin Save

Prep Time: 1 30

Cook Time: 1 30

Total Time: 3

Servings: dolmades

Calories: 406kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

For the Beans:

2 cups of dried cannellini beans
1 onion peeled and quartered
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ of a fennel bulb chopped
1 medium onion chopped
½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice about 2 lemons

For the Stuffed Grape Leaves:

½ fennel bulb
1 medium onion
4 scallions white and green parts
1 pound ground beef lamb, or chicken
2 tablespoons tomato paste thinned with 2-3 tablespoons of water
¼ cup uncooked rice medium-grain
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper
30 to 40 preserved grape leaves
2-½ cups chicken beef or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
Fresh dill or mint for garnish

Instructions

For the Beans:

Place the beans in a large pot, add cold water to cover by at least 4-inches and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, drain and cover with fresh cold water.
Add the onion, salt and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the beans are almost tender but still firm. They will be about half-cooked. Drain the beans and discard the onion and bay leaves.
In a Dutch oven or large skillet set over medium-high heat, add the oil and when it is hot sauté the fennel and onion until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the lemon juice and stir in the drained beans. Remove from the heat and set aside.

For the Stuffing:

In a food processor, pulse the fennel, onion and scallions until finely chopped.
In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, the onion-fennel mixture, tomato paste, rice, Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Mix until well combined. Set aside while preparing the grape leaves.

Prepare the Preserved Grape Leaves:

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Drain the liquid from the jar of preserved grape leaves and remove them from the jar. Unroll the leaves and drop them into the hot water. Immediately turn the heat off. Let the leaves soak for 2-3 minutes, then drain them in a sieve and plunge them into a pan of cold water to cool them.
Gently separate the leaves and spread them on paper towels to drain. If the leaves have stems, clip them off with kitchen scissors. You will need about 30 or 40 leaves for the stuffing.
Spread the grape leaf flat, dull side up and place a portion (see #1 note) of the filling on the center of the leaf. Turn up the stem end of the leaf, covering the filling.
Fold over each end to enclose the filling. Beginning again at the stem end, roll the grape leaf gently but firmly into a compact cylinder. The surface of the leaf will cling together to hold the grape leaf in shape.
Place the stuffed grape leaf, seam side down, on top of the beans, starting at the edge of the pot. Continue stuffing and rolling the remaining leaves, placing them snuggly next to each other and working to the center.

Cooking the Dolmades:

Pour 2 cups of the broth, olive oil and lemon juice over the rolled grape leaves. The liquid should just barely cover the grape leaves. Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with its lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until the filling is cooked through and the beans are tender.
Transfer the meat filled grape leaves to a platter and cover to keep warm. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the beans into a serving bowl and cover to keep warm. There will be about 1-1/2 cups of sauce remaining in the cooking pot. If there is more, boil over high heat to reduce it; if there is less, add some stock and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Thicken the sauce by combining the cornstarch with the cold water and whisk into the sauce.
To serve, place a portion of the beans on each plate, with 3 or 4 dolma arranged on top. Spoon some of the sauce over the top and garnish with fresh dill or mint.

Notes

The preserved grape leaves will not all be the same size, place enough of the meat mixture on the leaf in proportion to the leaf size. See the photos to gauge how much stuffing you will need
If you want a thicker sauce, increase the cornstarch to 3 teaspoons and the water 3 tablespoons