These low-carb paleo stuffed grape leaves have all of the flavour of the real thing, but a fraction of the carbs. Serve with lots of toum!
Note: This recipe was first posted on my original blog, Celebration Generation, on April 13, 2020. It was transferred over to this blog - existing comments and all - on 9/27/2021
Riceless stuffed grape leaves!
I LOVE stuffed grape leaves, and not even just as a vector for my toum addiction.
When I started low carbing - and eventually going onto the autoimmune protocol diet (AIP) - they were off the table, unless tweaked.
Rice is carby, and it's also not compliant for AIP.
Enter: Celery Root.
I got into celery root a couple of years ago, as a nice substitute for rice.
Peel it, run it through a food processor, and you're good to go.
I'd use it for Fried "rice", as a base for Buffalo Chicken meatballs, in cabbage rolls, etc.
When I started making toum at home, I had to see if it would work for dolmades.
I'm happy to report that YES, it does.
Low Carb & Paleo Stuffed Grape Leaves
These have all the flavour - as well as the appropriate texture - as the traditional, rice-filled dish.
This is actually one of the top two AIP dishes we make here, along with my AIP Paleo Fish Tacos. (Not low carb, link goes to my Beyond Flour blog!)
My husband may not be following the AIP diet himself, but he would happily live on these two dishes alone!
You can do this with fresh or dried herbs, and we’ve done it both ways.
To use dried herbs, simply sub 2 tablespoon each of dried dill and dried mint - to start - cook it up, taste, and add a bit more if you like.
Freezing Your Stuffed Grape Leaves Filling
Once the filling is cooked up, it can be cooled, put in freezer bags, and frozen.
We made up a big batch at the beginning of the 2020 situation, divided it up, and froze them.
To use, we allow them to thaw, and just continue rolling it up from there.
I haven't tried freezing fully assembled dolmades, so no idea how that would work.
However you end up doing up these riceless stuffed grape leaves - fresh, dried, frozen, whatever - just be sure to try them. WITH lots of toum, of course!
How to Make Low Carb, Paleo Stuffed Grape Leaves
Full recipe follows, but here’s a pictorial overview!
Make the filling, as described in the recipe.
Carefully take the grape leaves out of the jar, rinse well, and drain.
Trim all stems off the leaves, and get ready to roll!
Place a large leaf in front of you, shiny side down and with the bottom facing you. Add a bit of filling - usually between 2-4 teaspoon worth, or about a tablespoon, plus or minus a little.
Fold the bottom of the leaf up and over the filling, tucking everything tightly as you do so.
Fold the side in, and roll it up like a burrito.
It may be awkward at first, but you’ll find your groove after a few!
Roll up all of the filling into the leaves.
Place each finished roll into a medium/large pot - seam sides down, and tightly packed.
If they don’t fill the bottom of the pot, consider moving them to a smaller one - loose packing will make them come undone as they cook.
Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil, drizzle over the rolls.
Pour chicken broth over the rolls. Gently simmer - not boil - over low heat for about 15 minutes.
Serve warm with toum.
More International Keto Recipes
Looking to add some international flavour to your menu? Try some of these low-carb versions of my favourites!
Keto Cabbage Rolls
Keto Chicken Biryani
Low Carb Chicken Korma
Keto Doro Wat
Keto Gyoza [Potstickers]
Keto Manakish
Easy Keto Ramen Recipe
Keto Orange Chicken
Keto Pad Thai
Keto Perogies
Keto Sauerkraut Buns
Keto Sushi Rice
Low Carb Shanghai Noodles
Low Carb Vietnamese Noodle Salad
Sugar Free Furikake Seasoning
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Riceless Stuffed Grape Leaves - Dolmades - AIP & Paleo
Ingredients
- 1 Smallish Celery Root
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Small Red Onion
- ½ Cup Fresh DIll chopped
- ½ Cup Fresh Mint Leaves chopped
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 Jar Grape Leaves
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Chicken Broth
- Toum
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, peel the celery root. Discard peelings, rinse well and pat dry.
- Chop celery root into smallish chunks, place in a food processor, and blitz until reduced to small, rice-sized pieces - you should have roughly 2 cups worth. Set aside.
- In a large pan, heat olive oil. Add onion, saute until onion softens. Add riced celery root, continue cooking until heated through. Add dill, mint, and lemon juice, stir well and season with salt, to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Carefully take the grape leaves out of the jar, rinse well, and drain. Trim all stems off the leaves, and get ready to roll!
- Place a large leaf in front of you, shiny side down and with the bottom facing you. Add a bit of filling - usually between 2-4 teaspoon worth, or about a tablespoon, plus or minus a little. Fold the bottom of the leaf up and over the filling, tucking everything tightly as you do so. Fold the sized in, and roll it up like a burrito. It may be awkward at first, but you’ll find your groove after a few!
- Roll up all of the filling into the leaves, placing each finished roll into a medium/large pot - seam sides down, and tightly packed. If they don’t fill the bottom of the pot, consider moving them to a smaller one - loose packing will make them come undone as they cook.
- Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil, drizzle over the rolls. Pour chicken broth over the rolls. Gently simmer - not boil - over low heat for about 15 minutes. Serve warm with toum.
Notes
Nutrition
More Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes
Looking to lower the carbs, but without the meat? Here are some more recipe ideas for you:
Sesame Crusted Smoked Tofu Salad
Baked Keto Zucchini Fritters
Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice
Keto Mushroom Turnovers
First, the obvious critique-- why in the world use three pots? If you're just making the grape leaves, just pile them all in as tightly as possible, in even layers and put any extras in the middle; put a plate over them and weigh them down with a pyrex bowl full of water. This is the way it's normally done. These days, I just use the instant pot and it's not an issue because. . . Pressure.
Next, we usually lay beef or lamb bones (or chicken legs) in the bottom of the pot, and use a meat/rice filling that is spiced quite differently.
We also stuff gray squash and baby eggplant, and place them in over and around the bones, then pack in the rolled grape leaves to fill in the cracks, then make even layer (or two, or lots more) with the grape leaves. It's all cooked in a (garlic, cumin, sumac, mint and tomato paste broth. We don't cook the rice, so I didn't cook the celery stuffing either. If you want to try the instant pot version, it's 17-19 minutes on high, with natural release.
All that aside, my husband had no idea it wasn't rice. The texture, smell and taste were exactly like the rice filled ones. I did wrap very, very tightly because the meat shrinks, but they were great.
Thank you for your comment.
One of the great things about stuffed grape leaves is how wildly different the recipes can be from person to person, and country to country 🙂
Just as an FYI though: Tomato, eggplant, cumin, and sumac are all excluded on the AIP diet. As this recipe was developed not only low carb, but paleo and AIP compliant, those ingredients wouldn't be at all appropriate for those looking for recipes for that particular diet.
All true. I was mainly sharing that fact, in case someone needed timing for instant pot cooking with soup bones sort of have had to construct my own protocol, and forget about the whole nightshade thing for most people. I have Lupus, but also a very weird carotenoid intolerance. I do tolerate nightshades, red wine, cheese, and coffee really well, though. I was looking for KETO appropriate recipes to replace rice dishes for my diabetic husband. Oddly, rice is the only carb that really, acutely, shoots up his blood glucose. Kurdish food. . . With NO rice???!!!!
When I made the celery root stuffing, with our regular recipe, he actually had no idea there was no rice--until I told him! In other topics, I was reading over some of your other websites because it was such an interesting mix of stuff and your sarcasm/ hilariousness level was exactly how I feel, talk, and think. I am really amazed by anyone with the ability to sew lycra and sequins, also. Ha!