Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with egg-lemon sauce – Lahanodolmades Avgolemono is one of the most divine dishes. This is the best recipe for stuffed cabbage rolls, hands down!

A plate with stuffed cabbage rolls, lahanodolmades, a piece of bead at the top and right, part of the pot is showing and part of utensils with a cloth napkin, all on a white table.

Greek stuffed cabbage rolls-lahanodolmades avgolemono is the ultimate comfort dish. My husband claims it is the best food I have ever cooked since we met (that was 2004, so you do the math).

What is lahanodolmades

Lahanodolmades (or Lahanodolmathes) avgolemono is cabbage leaves stuffed with ground meat and rice in an egg-lemon sauce. A rustic dish with tons of flavor that seems complicated, but it is straightforward in reality.

They taste even better the next day, and are great for lunch, dinner, and anytime in between!

Here is what you need

Ground meat. You can use just ground beef, or lamb, or beef and pork. I chose beef and ground sweet Italian sausage.
Fresh dill, parsley, and scallions. Lots of aromatic herbs give freshness to this recipe.
Onions. I use one onion, finely diced for the mixture and another just sliced, saute for a couple of minutes to cover the bottom of the pot.
White rice. I usually use Carolina or any rice I have available.
A large fresh cabbage. Select the best one from the bunch.
Ground cumin, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. My grandma always added a pinch of cumin in the mix for that extra flavor. So it became a family tradition always to add some cumin in lahanodolmades.
Eggs and lemons. I usually use only two lemons for the egg and lemon sauce, but this time is different. I use 4 lemons, sometimes 5! The cabbage is perfectly paired with the extra lemony avgolemono. The lemon acidity cuts greasiness and gives the food a fresh, clean taste.

How to make lahanodolmades

Although it may seem very labor-intensive, the recipe is pretty easy. I would say the most complicated part is boiling and separating the cabbage leaves. However, if you get a nice fresh and large cabbage and cut the core before boiling, you should not have an issue.

Remove the entire core of the cabbage with a knife.

Immerse the head of cabbage in the boiling water for 10-15 minutes. The cabbage will float in the water, so don’t expect it to be covered. Turn it over occassionally. Peel off each leaf with tongs as soon as it’s flexible.

In a large bowl, combine all the ground meat, one onion diced, the rice, sliced scallions, chopped dill and parsley, a pinch of cumin and sea salt, and freshly ground pepper.

Remove the hard rib if any from the leaves with a knife. Place a spoonful of the stuffing mixture in the middle of each cabbage leaf.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the second diced onion for a few minutes. (this onion can also just be sliced. As soon as the onion has softened, place a handful of fresh parsley on top. You can add some leftover cabbage leaves on top (optional).

Transfer the cabbage rolls to the pot in layers next to one another.

Cover with a plate to not unwrap while cooking. Pour enough water to cover the cabbage rolls, and add 1/3 cup olive oil. Cover and simmer in low for 60 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover and let food sit for 10 minutes to cool the broth.

Whisk 2 eggs really well for about 2 minutes. Add the juice of 4 lemons and keep wisking.

Drizzle a ladleful of the food broth while whisking.

Pour sauce over stuffed cabbage rolls. Shake the pot to make sure the sauce is distributed all over.

What to enjoy with lahanodolmades

A fresh green salad and lots of crusty bread are all you need. Additionally, you can add some grilled or roasted vegetables and potatoes.