Description
These Meat & Rice Stuffed Leeks are a savory Mediterranean dish featuring flavorful ground beef, aromatic herbs, and tender leeks. Perfect as a main course or appetizer, these rolls are baked to perfection and served with a refreshing dill-garlic yogurt or a fresh tomato salad.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Leeks:
- 2 large leeks (white part only), cleaned and separated into leaves
Filling:
- 225 g (8 oz) ground beef (or a mix of beef/pork)
- 1/4 cup short‑grain rice (e.g., arborio, sushi rice)
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tsp summer savory (or dried thyme)
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (plus a bit more for pan)
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Prepare the leeks: Trim off dark green tops and root ends. Make a shallow cut lengthwise and peel off leaves gently. Wash thoroughly.
- Blanch leaves: Boil water, blanch leek leaves for ~20–30 s until soft. Drain and set aside.
- Make the filling: In a bowl, combine ground beef, rice, onion, garlic, parsley, summer savory, dill, mint, salt, and pepper.
- Stuff leeks: Drizzle some oil in your baking dish. Overlap leaves, add a few tablespoons of filling at one end, then fold and roll to enclose.
- Arrange & cook: Place rolls in the baking dish seam‑side down. Drizzle remaining oil and water around them. Cover with a lid or foil.
- Bake: 45 minutes covered. Remove cover and bake another 30 minutes until leeks are golden and tender, and water is mostly absorbed.
- Serve hot, with a side of dill–garlic yogurt or a fresh tomato salad.
Notes
- Large, thick leeks work best.
- Short-grain rice softens and binds filling nicely.
- Serve as an appetizer (6–8 pieces) or main (3–4 pieces).
- Freezes well—store cooked rolls, reheat before serving.
- For variation, add chopped mint or swap beef for ground pork/chicken.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 239 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 617 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: ~10 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 27 mg
