You probably have already heard of the Greek dish lachanontolmades (stuffed cabbage) but if not, let us tell you that it’s one of the most delicious Mediterranean dishes.
Lachanontolmades can be plant-based (with rice only), with meat or a mix of both (rice & minced meat). They are usually served with avgolemono (egg and lemon) or just lemon.
At Greek Appetite, we love testing plant-based dishes and new combinations, so you can try different things that are not only vegan, but also easy, yummy, and of course healthy!
That’s why we have tried an original vegan dish that you can prepare without spending hours in the kitchen or a fortune in your groceries shopping. Prepare this delicious stuffed cabbage with Savoy cabbage because the leaves are huge, so you don’t have to bother to fill them, and it closes very easily.
Want to simplify the recipe even more, or you’re just very hungry and can’t wait? Then, skip the béchamel part, and enjoy your stuffed cabbage with olive oil or plain lemon on top.
Or keep some dolmades to eat with plain lemon and make the rest with béchamel.
Béchamel
And since it’s time to talk about the béchamel, we think you’ll love it because it’s out of the ordinary, and it’s made with ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry.
If you have oat flakes, make the flour like we do, by grinding it in your food processor. It takes seconds to do this!
Do you have our digital cookbook “Eat Like A Greek Vegan”? If yes, then definitely check out some other (even!) yummier and healthier béchamels 😉. We know you’ll love them!!
A small amount of almonds in water in the blender will give you amazing homemade almond milk. Also, prepared very quickly!
With simple and healthy ingredients, you prepare a fantastic and creamy béchamel that stands out with the taste of lemon. It goes without saying that you adjust the amount of lemon according to your preferences.
We are sure that you will love these vegan lachanontolmades, with the perfect filling combo (lentil-rice) for your health, and with ingredients that you don’t have to spend a fortune on.
Do it and enjoy this wonderful Greek dish in its vegan, healthy and even tastier version! Don’t forget to tag us @greekappetite on social media, so that we can admire your own creation!
Find more recipes in our digital cookbook “Eat Like A Greek Vegan”!
Stuffed Savoy Cabbage with Lemon Béchamel
Ingredients
- 1 Savoy cabbage
- 10 tbsp rice choose rice that is cooked in about the same time as lentils
- 10 tbsp lentils black beluga (or brown)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried dill
- 1 onion
- pepper, salt
For the vegan béchamel
- 50 g oat flour
- 50 g olive oil
- 300 g almond milk
- 1 tbsp. onion powder
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- turmeric
- pepper, salt
- juice of ½ or 1 lemon depending on your preferences
Instructions
- In boiling water, put the cabbage that you have cut off its stem and let it boil for about 2-3 minutes (just long enough for the leaves to open).
- Remove it from the pot, open all the leaves and leave them aside.
- Boil the rice in boiling water for 3-4 minutes and discard the water. This step is optional but we do it to reduce the arsenic that is unfortunately also present in organic rice. If you want to reduce the arsenic even more, soak the rice in water from the night before, discard the water and the next day, boil the rice for a while, as we said above.
- In a bowl, put the rice, the lentils (lightly washed to remove any debris and dust), the onion chopped, the rest of the ingredients and mix.
- Take the leaves one by one and fill them with 1 tbsp. and a little more, if the leaf is very big, with the filling from the bowl.
- Close the stuffed leaf from the right, from the left and then roll it to close it completely.
- Continue with the remaining leaves which you place side by side in a pot. When there are no more leaves, add the remaining filling and water until it covers them. Cover them with a plate and close the pot with a lid.
- Let them boil for about 30 minutes or until the rice and lentils are tender (taste the filling that comes out of the dish). If you see that it is not cooked and there is no more water left, add a little until the rice and lentils are ready.
Béchamel
- Prepare the béchamel by adding the oat flour and olive oil into a saucepan and sauteing them.
- Pour in the plant-based milk, while continuing to stir and let them boil over medium heat, stirring at regular intervals. When it starts to become thick and bubble, add the spices, mix, add the lemon juice, mix and set aside.
- Place the stuffed cabbage in a roasting pan, pour the béchamel on top and cook them for about 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C / 356°F.
- Serve with extra lemon juice.
Delicious 😀
Excellent!!!