For those that don't know, cabbage rolls (Sarmale) are some of the most well known Romanian food. But they take about all day to make, since you have to individually make each one by hand. This is where Varsa a La Cluj comes in. It take about thirty minutes to put together and another thirty minutes to cook, but you'd be hard pressed to find enough people to not have leftovers. It's a little sweet, a little sour, has three food groups mixed in, and is 10x better with sourcream. It has also been affectionately named "Romanian Lasagna" by younger me. Hope you enjoy!
The ratios here are not set in stone. If you like more cabbage, add more. If you like more meat, add more. As long as it's in layers and it fits into the pan it'll taste delicious! And if you don't know if you would like it or not, feel free to make a small batch before you commit to the whole thing.
Ingredients (for an approximately 9 inch by 13 inch pan):
- 2 cups of uncooked rice
- 2 pounds of ground beef
- caraway seeds
- oil
- 2 cans, around 2 cups each, of sauerkraut (you could also use regular cabbage, as my Grandmother does)
- A small can, around a cup, of tomato sauce (tomato sauce is a bit more smooth)
DISCLAIMER: This is how my family does it, we are pretty lazy. If you want to be fancy, layer the rice and meat a couple of times, alternating more instead of just one big layer of each. Adding bay leaves, pepper, more salt, parsley, etc is completely fine. If it smells right and tastes good, add it.
Instructions:
- First, cook the rice. It'll take a second so you can get started on other stuff while you do it.
- Put the beef in a pan with some oil and the caraway seeds, cooking them so you don't get salmonella.
- Hopefully your rice and beef are done, so turn on the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If they aren't done, go on Duolingo and learn some Romanian.
- Drain the water from the sauerkraut, or chop up your cabbage to small pieces.
- Set down a layer of sauerkraut/cabbage, one can only. It will be the first layer.
- Put the rice down on top of the first layer. Pat it down slightly to make the layer flatter.
- Put the meat next, BUT REMEMBER TO DRAIN FIRST if you have a bunch of liquid in the pan.
- Put the second can of sauerkraut, using it to cover the last layer.
- Splash the tomato sauce on top, and spread it a bit. You don't want it to be soaking though, just one small can is fine.
- Cook in the oven for thirty minutes. Everything should look a bit toasty, but it's all cooked beforehand so under cooking it isn't an issue. Feel free to leave it in the oven (with the oven off, but it can still be warm) if you made it too early.
Enjoy!
P.S. Don't forget the sour cream!
*not my pictures
The ratios here are not set in stone. If you like more cabbage, add more. If you like more meat, add more. As long as it's in layers and it fits into the pan it'll taste delicious! And if you don't know if you would like it or not, feel free to make a small batch before you commit to the whole thing.
Ingredients (for an approximately 9 inch by 13 inch pan):
- 2 cups of uncooked rice
- 2 pounds of ground beef
- caraway seeds
- oil
- 2 cans, around 2 cups each, of sauerkraut (you could also use regular cabbage, as my Grandmother does)
- A small can, around a cup, of tomato sauce (tomato sauce is a bit more smooth)
DISCLAIMER: This is how my family does it, we are pretty lazy. If you want to be fancy, layer the rice and meat a couple of times, alternating more instead of just one big layer of each. Adding bay leaves, pepper, more salt, parsley, etc is completely fine. If it smells right and tastes good, add it.
Instructions:
- First, cook the rice. It'll take a second so you can get started on other stuff while you do it.
- Put the beef in a pan with some oil and the caraway seeds, cooking them so you don't get salmonella.
- Hopefully your rice and beef are done, so turn on the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If they aren't done, go on Duolingo and learn some Romanian.
- Drain the water from the sauerkraut, or chop up your cabbage to small pieces.
- Set down a layer of sauerkraut/cabbage, one can only. It will be the first layer.
- Put the rice down on top of the first layer. Pat it down slightly to make the layer flatter.
- Put the meat next, BUT REMEMBER TO DRAIN FIRST if you have a bunch of liquid in the pan.
- Put the second can of sauerkraut, using it to cover the last layer.
- Splash the tomato sauce on top, and spread it a bit. You don't want it to be soaking though, just one small can is fine.
- Cook in the oven for thirty minutes. Everything should look a bit toasty, but it's all cooked beforehand so under cooking it isn't an issue. Feel free to leave it in the oven (with the oven off, but it can still be warm) if you made it too early.
Enjoy!
P.S. Don't forget the sour cream!
