Balandėliai with potatoes, carrot sauce and sour cream. AI-generated illustration created for LithuaniaLinks.
What balandėliai are
Balandėliai are stuffed cabbage rolls. This version uses pork and rice, but the name describes the wrapped dish rather than a single fixed household recipe.
Part of Lithuanian home cooking
Balandėliai were selected as a main course in the 2020 national-menu vote. Stuffed cabbage is also made in neighbouring countries.
What arrives on the plate
The recipe below cooks potatoes in the same pot as the rolls. Carrots, onion and the cooking liquid become the sauce, with sour cream served alongside.
Home recipe
Pork-and-rice balandėliai
14 to 16 rolls, about 6 to 8 portions
Approx. 350 kcal per serving · Based on 8 servings
Recipe adapted from: Ieva · Taste of Lithuania.
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- Preparation
- 75 minutes
- Cooking
- 60 minutes
- Total
- 135 minutes
Ingredients
Add only what you need, or add the whole recipe at once.
Rolls
- 1 large green or white cabbage
- 500 g pork mince
- 100 g uncooked white rice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 to 2 tbsp neutral oil
Cooking sauce
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 onion, sliced
- 750 g potatoes
- 500 ml chicken or beef stock, with more if needed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp sour cream, plus serving cream
Method
- Soften the whole cabbage in simmering water. Peel off flexible leaves as they loosen; cool and trim thick stalks. Prepare 14 to 16 leaves.
- Combine pork, uncooked rice, salt and pepper. Divide between the leaves, folding in the sides before rolling.
- Lightly coat the damp rolls with flour and brown them in the oil.
- Layer rolls, carrots, onion and potato pieces in a pot. Add stock mixed with tomato paste to reach about two-thirds of the rolls, then dot with sour cream.
- Cover and simmer gently for about 50 to 60 minutes. Check the filling is cooked through before serving.
Recipe notes
Check the centre of the meat filling with a clean food thermometer: 75 °C for 30 seconds, or 70 °C for 2 minutes, are Food Standards Agency combinations.
Ingredient information: Wheat; Milk; Stock ingredients vary. Check the labels of bought ingredients.
Energy estimate
Approx. 350 kcal per serving
Reference servings per batch: 8. 1/8 of the batch, including potatoes and sauce.
Calculation details
Uses 16 large cabbage leaves (about 530 g), 21 g oil and 500 ml ready-to-serve chicken stock. Extra sour cream at the table is excluded. The recipe may instead make 6 larger portions.
Calculated from ingredient quantities and the stated reference serving, rounded to the nearest 10 kcal. Brands, portion size and retained frying fat affect the result.
