Lahanorizo is Greek rice and cabbage in a light tomato sauce loaded with vegetables like carrot, bell pepper, celery, leek, onion, garlic. A simple dish that's very easy to make and tastes like meatless, unrolled cabbage rolls.
This cabbage rice is one of those dishes that is all I want to eat after a holiday food craze. So now that Christmas and New Year's day are over it's time for some clean eating and detox. And what's healthier and more nutritious than a loaded veggie rice stew?
You May Also Like These Other Rice Recipes:
- Spanakoryzo - Spinach Rice
- Prasorizo - Leek Rice
- Yemista - Rice Stuffed Vegetables
- Fakorizo - Lentil Rice
To make this rice and cabbage, cut the cabbage into chunky stripes and saute along with the remaining vegetables in olive oil until the cabbage softens to your liking (depending on how crisp you like your veggies to be). Also, the more you cook the cabbage at this stage the less simmering it will require later on.
Then add canned diced tomatoes, enough water to cover, and simmer for approximately 45 minutes. You can use fresh tomatoes if you wish instead of the canned ones. To do this either blend 2-3 ripe tomatoes in a blender or grate them with a hand grater so the skin doesn't get mixed in.
If you want the sauce a bit saucier and thicker, you can use double concentrated tomato paste instead (2-3 tablespoons will do).
Then add the rice and simmer until it gets cooked.
Other Ingredients You May Add:
And if you want to spice things up (literally) add a bit of cayenne pepper it goes so nicely with this dish.
If you want to satisfy your picky eaters (kids or hubby who keeps asking for meat) as well with this dish, then you can make it with Greek sausage (very similar to Italian). By cutting the sausage into 2-3 cm thick pieces and pan-frying it in a splash of olive oil until browned all over. Then stir the sausage into the pot once the cabbage rice is cooked. Cabbage and sausage is a really flavorful combo (think of German sausage and sauerkraut) that can trick a non-veggie fan to eat this veggie-loaded dish and like it too!
Whenever I make Lahanorizo, I keep a plateful for myself and than mix the sausage in the remaining cabbage rice that's left inside the pot. And this way we are all happy!
SERVE WITH ⬇
Fresh ground pepper and a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon on top!
Rice And Cabbage In Sauce (Lahanorizo)
Ingredients
- 500 grams / 17.6 oz cabbage cut into thick (about 1cm x 3cm) stripes
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove sliced
- 1 small stick of celery finely chopped
- 1 /2 small leek (mainly the white part) finely sliced
- 1 small carrot finely sliced
- 1 small green bell pepper cut into 1 cm cubes
- 300 grams / 10.6 oz canned tomatoes diced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil + some extra for sauteeing
- 1 dried bay leave
- 100 grams / 3.5 oz long-grain rice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Add a generous splash of olive oil in a medium-sized cooking pot and heat over high heat.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened. Add the cabbage and reduce heat slightly to medium-high. Add also the carrot, leek, celery, and bell pepper. Season with kosher salt and a bit of pepper. Stir occasionally until the cabbage and the other vegetables soften.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, and add the bay leaf and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Pour in enough water to cover and simmer, partly covered for about 45 minutes.
- Add as much water as needed to cover the cabbage and veggies again. Bring to a simmer and stir in the rice, parsley, and dill.
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer covered completely this time, for about 25 minutes. Taste for seasonings then remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with freshly ground pepper and a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon on top!
Nutrition
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I love Greek food!
Hi Fotina, Xronia Polla gia tin Giorti Sou!! Happy Namedat to my "favorite Greek Chef". I made this soup on Tuesday and it definitely hit the spot...so filling..so good. I did add a cup of thawed, room temperature to this soup and it was divine!!! So satisfying after all the heavy traditional holiday Greek meals. Thanks again.
Efharisto poli Konstantina and Happy New Year. So glad you enjoyed it. That's what I thought too, it was just perfect after all the holiday food!