Lazy Dolmades Casserole Recipe

Lazy Greek Dolmades in a blue casserole dish with a spoon in it.

Lazy Dolmades Casserole Recipe

Enjoy the spectacular flavors of Greek stuffed grape leaves without the rolling! This Lazy Greek Dolmades Casserole features buttery-soft grape leaf ribbons, fluffy Basmati rice, and a zesty lemon-mint finish. It’s a healthy, one-pan, Weight Watchers-friendly side dish that’s perfect for any Mediterranean feast.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean

Keyword dolmades, grape leaves, rice

Special Diet Vegetarian, weight watchers

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 10

Servings servings

Calories 221kcal

Author Terri Gilson

Ingredients

16 oz Jar of Grape Leaves about 30 grape leaves
1 ½ cups Basmati Rice rinsed until water runs clear
4 cups Chicken broth
1 med. Onion finely diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 whole Lemon: juice and zest + 2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
2 ½ tablespoon Fresh Mint Finely chopped.

Topping;

2 tablespoons High-quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice.
A tiny pinch of salt and a crack of black pepper.

Garnish

mint leaves
lemon wedge
grated lemon

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Bring a pot to boiling. Then add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the water and add the grape leaves.
Let them cook for the entire hour that the rice is cooking.
While the Grape leaves are boiling, sauté your finely diced onion and minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent.
Add the uncooked, rinsed Basmati rice and toast for 2 minutes.
Add 3 ½ cups of chicken broth.
Cover and simmer on low for 18–20 minutes.
While the rice is hot, add the juice and zest of 1 whole lemon.
Add 2.5 tablespoon of fresh mint, chopped.
When the grape leaves have cooked for an hour, drain, then add add them to the rice mixture.
Transfer to a prepared 8x8 or 9x9 pan or you can keep cooking it in a Dutch oven, if you started out using that.
Pour the remaining ½ cup of chicken broth over the rice.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 1 hour.
Lemon Sauce: Mix the remaining oil and lemon juice together with the salt and pepper. Just before serving, drizzle the sauce over the rice.
Garnish with fresh mint leaves, grated lemon and a wedge of lemon, if desired.

Notes

Expert Recipe Tips:

Make-Ahead Grape Leaves: To save time on dinner night, you can simmer your grape leaves up to 2 days in advance! After simmering for an hour, let them cool in their cooking liquid. Transfer the leaves and the liquid to an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. The extra soak time actually makes the leaves even more buttery and delicious! When you're ready to bake, just drain them, remove stems, chop, and toss them into the rice.
The "Magic Hour" Bake: Baking the casserole tightly covered in foil for one hour allows the rice to absorb every drop of lemony broth, "welding" the flavors together.
The Parallel Prep: To save time, start your rice sautéing while the grape leaves are in their first 20 minutes of simmering.
The Grape Leaf Timer: The secret to spectacular dolmades is all in the boil! If you are using fresh leaves from your garden, a quick 3-5 minute blanch is all they need. However, if you are using jarred or store-bought leaves, they need much more love. I recommend simmering them for 45-60 minutes to break down those tough fibers. You'll know they are ready when the center vein feels tender when pinched!

❄️ The "Lazy" Freezer Option:

If you have a huge bounty of leaves, you can freeze the simmered ribbons!

The Method: Drain the simmered leaves, pat them dry, and put them in a freezer bag.
The Benefit: They can pull out a handful of "pre-tenderized" leaves whenever they want to make this side dish. They can go straight from the freezer into the rice pot!

Expert Tip: The Freezer Test!
I personally tested freezing this Deconstructed Dolmades Rice, and it passed with flying colors! It's the perfect make-ahead side dish. Simply thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat with a splash of broth to keep the rice fluffy. It's a spectacular time-saver for busy weeknights!

Nutrition