Lahanorizo (Greek Rice with Cabbage)

Lahanorizo (Greek rice with cabbage) is a traditional Greek dish that happens to be naturally vegan. It's just the perfect meal for cool weather, and you can serve it drizzled with extra virgin olive oil or with lots of lemon juice for that authentic Greek taste.

Greek cuisine has loads of amazing dishes that just happen to be vegan, and lahanorizo is one of the most delicious ones.

This dish is basically rice with cabbage, but don't be fooled by its simplicity. There's so much more to lahanorizo in terms of flavour.

The cabbage is sauteed with a mix of onion, carrots and leeks to set the perfect flavour base for the rice.

Greek cabbage rice reminds me a bit of veggie unrolled cabbage rolls, only so much easier to make!

Why you'll love lahanorizo

• It's a one-pot recipe. This cabbage rice is the perfect recipe to try if you love easy one-pot meals.
• You'll get loads of veggies in one serving. Between the cabbage and the other veggies, this is quite a healthy recipe that will easily provide you with your five a day.
• It's easy to customize. You can add some cayenne pepper to make lahanorizo spicy, use chopped tomatoes or add some dry white wine with the rice for extra flavour.

Ingredients and substitutions

Olive oil — A good quality extra virgin olive oil is essential for this Greek cabbage recipe.

Onion, carrot and leeks — these veggies set up the flavour base for lahanorizo. It's a good idea to cut them into small chunks so they soften quickly and evenly.

Garlic — Freshly chopped garlic is best in this recipe. Feel free to add more if you want your cabbage rice to be more garlicky.

Tomato paste — I prefer lahanorizo with just a bit of tomato paste, but you can add as much as you like.

To make things even more tomato-ey, you can also add a can of chopped tomatoes.

Cabbage — White cabbage is traditionally used for lahanorizo. Cut it into thick slices or even into chunks.

Rice — You'll need round or medium-grain rice for lahanorizo. Arborio rice is a good option here, but any round grain rice will do. The important thing is to use a starchy type of rice.

Fresh dill — This is optional but highly recommended because it takes the flavours of lahanorizo to a whole other level.

Lemon juice — As you'd expect from a Greek recipe, lahanorizo is made with plenty of lemon juice. Feel free to adjust the quantity to your liking.

How to make Greek rice with cabbage

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large stockpot, add the onion, carrot and leek and cook for 5-6 minutes over medium heat until softened.

Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Next, stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute, stirring occasionally.

Add the sliced cabbage to the pot, salt it generously, and saute for 8-10 minutes until reduced in size and softened.

Stir in the rice and stock and bring to a boil. Next, lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is cooked to your likening. Add some extra stock if it starts to look too dry.

Stir in the fresh dil and lemon juice, adjust the seasoning and serve immediately with lemon wedges and drizzled with some extra olive oil if you like.

Leftovers and storage

• Lahanorizo is best served immediately; however, if you have any leftovers, you can reheat them in the microwave until piping hot.
• If you want to reheat this cabbage rice on the stovetop, you may need to add some extra stock or water because the rice will continue to soak up the liquid.
• I don't recommend freezing lahanorizo because it will likely turn to mush once thawed.

Recipe notes and tips

• Lahanorizo is often served with feta cheese, and it tastes great with a plant-based feta cheese, too.
• Rice and cabbage actually tastes better the next day.
• You can serve it warm or at room temperature.

If you liked this lahanorizo (Greek rice with cabbage), you might also like some of my other easy vegan rice recipes:

• Vegan Spanish Chickpeas and Rice
• Spanakorizo (Greek Spinach and Rice)
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Easy Vegan Mexican Rice
• Prasorizo (Greek Leeks and Rice)

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