Sarma is a hearty dish that Serbians enjoy regularly, you will most defiantly find it on any special occasion such as slavas and most other holidays. Like any family recipe, it can vary from family to family, each adding their own flare. The fundamentals are the same some sort of meat filling wrapped in cabbage over sauerkraut. You will also find variations of this dish throughout Eastern Europe, the Czechs and Slovaks call them Holubky.

Sarma is usually served straight after baking with fresh bread, potatoes or potato salad. You can reheat the rolls for a tasty snack or uncooked rolls can be frozen.

Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 3 hrs 10 mins

Total: 3 hrs 40 mins

• 1.5kg head cabbage
• 1/2 kg ground chuck
• 200g ground pork or beef or mixed
• 1 cup raw rice, rinsed
• 1 package dehydrated onion soup mix
• 6 medium smoked ribs, ham hocks, or other smoked meat
• 1  can tomato sauce
• 1  can tomato soup

1. Heat oven to 180 degrees
2. Steam the head of cabbage until the outer leaves are limp, then cool slightly and separate the leaves.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground chuck, ground pork, rice, and onion soup mix.
4. Adding a small amount of water will make the mixture easier to handle.

• 4. Heap 2 tablespoons of filling onto each steamed, prepared cabbage leaf.
• 5. Fold the bottom of the cabbage leaf up over the meat
• 6. Fold sides to the center and roll away from yourself to encase completely
• 7. Repeat until the meat filling is gone.

• Coarsely chop any remaining cabbage except the tough outer leaves
• Spread the chopped cabbage on the bottom of a large dish.
• Layer on the cabbage rolls
• Cut your meat of choice and place it between the cabbage rolls.
• Cover rolls with reserved leaves
• Mix tomato sauce and soup with enough water to make a liquid
• Pour over rolls until mixture is level with rolls
• Cover the casserole dish and bake for 1 hour
• Then reduce temperature to 160 degrees and bake for 2 more hours
• Allow to sit for at least 20 to 30 minutes before serving.