This delicious dolmas or grape leaf salad with roasted cauliflower rice makes a great side dish for hummus and falafel. It is loosely based on the ingredients used to make dolmas (also known as dolmades or stuffed grape leaves).
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About the recipe:
This recipe is adapted from Sunset magazine. I modified it a bit and made it with coriander roasted cauliflower rice instead of actual rice.
Ingredient notes:
- You can find brined grape leaves in most regular grocery stores. They are in a glass jar and are usually shelved in the same area as canned artichoke hearts and pickles.
- Fresh mint is often sold in small plastic packages called clamshells, with a net weight of about 0.66 ounces. One such mint clamshell yields about 50 mint leaves once you've stripped the leaves off the stems. You need 18 mint leaves for this recipe. Use the remaining leaves to make this cold shrimp noodle salad or these chicken hokkien noodles!
How to make roasted cauliflower rice:
Step 1. Grab a small head of cauliflower.
Step 2. Cut off the individual florets. Working in batches, process the florets in the food processor until they have the consistency of actual rice.
Step 3. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower rice with olive oil, coriander and salt.
Step 4. Spread the rice out directly onto a baking sheet and roast in the oven.
RECIPE NOTE: The coriander roasted cauliflower rice makes a great side dish all by itself (even without the dolmas ingredients). You can serve it instead of actual rice with chicken or fish. It's great, for example, with cod fillets that have been seasoned with this cod seasoning that's made with coriander and other spices.
How to make dolmas salad:
Step 1. Heat up olive oil in a skillet, then saute pine nuts and chopped green onions for 5 minutes.
Step 2. Add chopped grape leaves and cauliflower rice and cook for another 3 minutes.
Step 3. Turn the heat off, then stir in grape leaf brine, lemon juice, raisins, parsley and mint.
How to serve grape leaf salad:
Serve grape leaf salad warm or at room temperature with hummus and falafel.
More delicious salad recipes:
- Fajita Taco Salad with Steak20 Minutes
- Cold Asian Noodle Salad with Grilled Shrimp1 Hours
- Pesto Orzo Salad with Shrimp30 Minutes
- Ras el Hanout-Spiced Grilled Chicken Salad with Sumac Dressing2 Hours 25 Minutes
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thanks!
Full Printable Recipe
Dolmas Salad (Grape Leaf Salad) with Roasted Cauliflower Rice
Equipment:
- measuring cups and spoons
- knife and cutting board
- food processor
- mixing bowl
- rubber spatula
- rimmed baking sheet
- saucepan or skillet
- wooden spoon
Ingredients:
For the cauliflower rice:
- florets from one small head of cauliflower, cut the larger ones so that all are about equal in size
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the salad:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- ½ cup chopped jarred grape leaves,* reserve ¼ cup of brine from the jar
- the cauliflower rice
- ¼ cup grape leaf brine
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup chopped raisins
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint (you need about 18 medium-large leaves or three 4-inch sprigs with fully grown leaves for that)
Instructions:
For the cauliflower rice:
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Working in batches, pulse the cauliflower in the food processor until it has the consistency of rice.
- Toss the cauliflower with the oil and the coriander and spread directly onto a rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast for 10 minutes.
For the salad:
- Heat the oil on medium heat until shimmering.
- Add the nuts and green onions and saute for 5 minutes.
- Add the grape leaves and the cauliflower rice and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Turn the heat off, stir in the remaining ingredients, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the salad warm or at room temperature with hummus and falafel.
Notes:
Nutrition Information (Estimated):
Nutrition values provided on this website are generated from a nutrition database and are estimates only. The accuracy of the nutrition information for any recipe on this website is not guaranteed. Nutrition values can vary quite a lot depending on which brands are used.
Efthymia
Thank you for the recipe. First time I tried cauliflower rice and it didn't dissapoint. The salada was delicious, though we ate it as a weekday dinner, with some crunchy crusty bread. Thanks again! Efthymia.
Nicole B.
That’s wonderful to hear, Efthymia! I’m so happy you liked the recipe. Thanks so much for coming back and leaving such a nice comment, I appreciate that!
Abbe @ This is How I Cook
What a gorgeous photo! I'm so glad you tried the cauliflower rice, because I've always wondered about it! What a perfect way to use it!
Nicole B.
Thank you, Abbe! I was very pleasantly surprised by the cauliflower rice, I'm going to use it more often now. :)
Kevin | Keviniscooking
This one caught my eye by the title then the photo, lovely and a great idea! Just another beautiful presentation and photo.
Hope your Thanksgiving was a good one, we've up in Beavercreek outside Portland for a blissful week of no work or blogging, just chill and hikes - and eating!
Nicole B.
Thank you so much, Kevin! Chilling, hiking and eating – sounds like a perfect vacation. We just got back from New Mexico, doing pretty much the same. :) I do have to visit Oregon sometime, I keep hearing such great things about it but I've never been.
Mary (The Godmother @ Goodie Godmother)
This sounds refreshing! I'm so torn between wanting to try it the next time I open a bottle of grape leaves or sticking to my family's recipe for rolled grape leaves (it's one of my favorite foods ever!). Maybe this is something I'll make with a few torn leaves. ;) Looks wonderful!
Nicole B.
Thank you, Mary! This was actually the very first time I ever bought grape leaves (took me forever to find them in the store), I can imagine there are all kinds of other fun recipes to use them in. I definitely want to experiment a bit more with them :)