Vegan Cabbage Dolma (Dolma't Chalama)

This Assyrian Cabbage Dolma recipe is vegan-friendly and amazingly delicious! The flavorful filling is enhanced with the sour and slightly sweet tomato sauce the dolma cooks in. The result is tender cabbage rolls that just melt in your mouth! Traditionally, Cabbage Dolma is served as-is, but I like to serve it with a garlic and dill yogurt sauce (see Swiss chard Dolma recipe for more info).

About This Recipe

Cabbage Rolls are prepared by many cultures. This includes Assyrians, Arabs, Armenians, Russians, Poles, and Greeks. As a matter of fact, I even have a Ukrainian Stuffed Cabbage recipe!

Assyrians call this dish "Dolma't Chalama" which translates to "Cabbage Dolma." Although I could try to claim that Assyrians were the first to make Dolma, I'm not going there. The important thing is that Cabbage Rolls are appreciated throughout the world.

How to Make This Recipe

STEP 1: Carve the core out of the cabbage using a sharp knife, or a serrated grapefruit knife. Discard the core. Add the cabbage to a large stockpot, and cover it with water. Boil until the leaves begin to soften and start pulling away from the cabbage.

STEP 2: As the leaves change color and become soft and pliable, use tongs to carefully pull away the outer leaves, and place them on a platter.

PRO TIP: Avoid overcooking the leaves which will cause them to fall apart. Continue to strip the leaves away until you’re left with the smaller leaves in the center.

STEP 3: Remove the thick veins from the center of the larger leaves. Use them to line the bottom of an 8-quart Dutch oven. This step is necessary so that the Dolma does not stick to the bottom of the pot.

PRO TIP: Cut the large cabbage leaves into two or three pieces each.

Prepare the Filling

STEP 1: Wash rice, then soak in water and set aside. Chop the parsley and cilantro; add to a large bowl. Mince onion and garlic, and add to the same bowl. Mix in all the filling spices. Strain the rice and add it to the bowl. Finally, add the tomato paste and oil. Mix thoroughly until combined.

How to Roll Cabbage Dolma

STEP 1: Place approximately 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each cabbage leaf and roll up to enclose the filling. There's no wrong or right way to roll the dolma, just avoid making them too big.

STEP 2: Place the dolma in the leaf-lined Dutch oven, seam-side down, in rows until the bottom is covered. After you are done with each layer or dolma, sprinkle with a teaspoon of dill. Continue until you have used up all the cabbage and the filling mixture.

STEP 3: Cover the pot and cook over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes. The dolma will release some of its juices, and will partially steam cook. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce.

Tomato Sauce

STEP 1: Whisk tomato paste, water, sugar, citric acid, salt, cayenne pepper, and vegetable oil in a small saucepan. Bring sauce to a boil over medium heat.

STEP 2: Pour the sauce over the dolma. Turn heat to the lowest setting and simmer until the juices are absorbed and the rice is tender. This can take anywhere from 1 to 1½ hours. 

PRO TIP: Although you're going to want to dig in, have patience. You must allow the dolma to cool for a little bit, or it will fall apart when you're dishing it out.

Expert Tips

• If you run out of cabbage leaves and still have filling remaining, you can use onions. Just peel a medium-sized onion, cut the ends, and make a slit halfway through the onion. Boil for approximately 25 minutes. Strip the onion layers and stuff them with the remaining mixture.
• Another option for lining the bottom of the pot is to use grape leaves instead of the cabbage leaf spines. Make sure you wash them before using them.
• If you're like me and prefer dolma with meat, just replace one cup of rice with one pound of finely diced beef or lamb.
• Some people line the bottom of the pot is lined with steak. The steak cooks in the dolma juices and ends up extremely tender and delicious.
• Some recommend freezing the cabbage instead of boiling it before stuffing it. Although freezing the cabbage does soften it, the cabbage ends up being undercooked since it's not cooked prior to stuffing.

Here's a video of me and mom making cabbage dolma; Check out how sassy she was!

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This recipe was published on June 22, 2017 and was edited on December 23, 2020 by rewriting the recipe steps and adjusting the seasoning slightly.