Lebanese silverbeet rolls are tender Swiss chard leaves stuffed with herbed rice and simmered in a tangy lemon broth until soft and flavorful.
If you’ve been wondering what to do with silverbeet, this stove top simmered stuffed silverbeet recipe is one of my family’s most loved dishes. Known as mahshi selek, it’s a hearty and authentic meal that takes a little time to create but is totally worth it.
I grew up watching the women in my family patiently roll these one by one, and now I find the whole process therapeutic.
Just like all the other ‘grandma’ Lebanese stuffed vegetable dishes on this blog such as cabbage rolls and grape leaf rolls, this recipe has been adapted to cater for the vegan/plant based diet.
One of my favorite Lebanese vegan silverbeet recipes (aside from this) is a delightful chard dip (I normally will make this with the left over ribs from this recipe), and I also enjoy silverbeet greens with black-eyed beans.
While both dishes feature the same vegetable, the flavors they bring to the table are strikingly different.
Ingredients
The complete list of ingredients with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.
Silverbeet (Swiss chard)
Choose large, unblemished leaves for easy rolling. The stalks will be used for layering the bottom of the pot, they help prevent sticking/burning and add great flavor.
Rice
Use basmati or long grain. Why? As I like the speed at which they cook! After rinsing, soak in warm water for 10 minutes to ensure even cooking once wrapped.
Fresh herbs and vegetables
- Parsley and mint will add a nice herb flavor
- Ripe tomatoes and onion again boosting the overrall flavor of this dish
Lemon juice
Use fresh lemons for that classic Lebanese tang, this will give you the best flavor, avoid store bought lemon juice.
Janelle's Tips
Trace the thicker center vein on large leaves with a knife to help with rolling. The rolls in the pic below are from smaller leaves, so the veins/ribs are maleable. I recommend watching the video.
Stack your leaves carefully after softening them with boiling water. Rough handling will tear them.
Using a plate to weigh down the rolls while they cook helps to keep them in place and intact.
Let the pot rest after cooking for 10 minutes before serving, this helps everything set nicely and the rice to steam.
Other types of rice grains e.g., short or medium will need longer to cook, start checking in on the rice around the 30 minute mark for doneness.
Don't overfill each leaf, adjust the filling size proportionatley to each leaf.
Keep the seem face down during preparation and cooking to help secure each roll.
FAQ
Usually from adding too much water or overcooking. Make sure the water only reaches just under the plate that weighs them down. Also, avoid hard boiling, rolling water will move the rolls around. Finally, make sure the leaves you use are not old and wilted.
Yes, the method is exactly the same, just make sure the leaves are large enough to roll.
Cook it like regular rice to enjoy as a side dish or use it in other stuffed veggies such as kousa mehshi.
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.
Recipe
Lebanese Silverbeet Rolls
Ingredients
Silverbeet Rolls
- 3 bunches Silverbeet
- 3 cups Basmati rice
- 5 medium Tomato finely diced
- 1½ medium Brown onion finely diced
- 3 tablespoons Mint dry or fresh (if using fresh, finely chopped, avoid hard stems)
- 3 cups Parsley finely chopped, avoid hard stems
- 3½ tablespoons Olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons Salt or to taste
- 3 teaspoons Black pepper cracked, or to taste
Dressing
- ⅔ cup Lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ⅓ cup Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper cracked, or to taste.
- 1 cup liquid use the remaining juice from the rice filling to make up a cup of liquid, if it doesn't make up a cup, add water.
Additionals
- 3 litres Water for softening the chard leaves
Instructions
Silverbeet leaves preparation
- Cut the stems off the silverbeet leaves. Trim away the thick center vein and place these trimmed veins at the bottom of the pot you’ll be using to cook the rolls.
- In a separate pot, bring 3 litres of water to a boil. Submerge the leaves and blanch for about 90 seconds. Drain well in a colander.
Filling preparation
- Wash the rice and then soak it in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain the rice thoroughly, then combine with the diced tomato, onion, parsley, mint, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Lemon Dressing Preparation
- In a small bowl or cup, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Rolling silverbeet leaves
- Cut each blanched silverbeet leaf into 3 to 5 sections, around 10 cm (about 4 inches) long.Place one section flat, add a line of filling just off-center, fold the sides in, and roll snuggly. Gently squeeze any excess juice from each roll into the cooking pot, then place the roll seam-side down.Once a layer of rolls is in the cooking pot, pour some lemon dressing over them. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling, layering and dressing as you go.
- If you have any small or baby leaves, place them on top of the rolls in the pot. Then place a heavy plate on top to weigh them down.Pour in approximately 1 cup of liquid (which is a combination of the rice mixture and water if needed) so the liquid reaches just under the plate when pressed. See video.Bring to a gentle boil over high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, then immediately reduce to low. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed to the base layer of stalks, about 25 to 30 minutes.Let rest, covered, for 10 minutes before serving warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
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Yaz
Thanks for the tips on how to roll up the silverbeet leaves. Now my rolls don’t fall apart!
Michelle
This was my first time making these and they came out great!!
Danielle
Just found this recipe today and will surely try this delicious one.Thank you so much as I love Lebanese food.😘
Leen
These were delicious. First time rolling chard leaves, mine weren’t as perfect as yours, I’ll be making these again.
Janelle
Yeah, they can be a tad fiddly, but practice makes perfect. And they are so worth it.
Jake
Made the whole dish wondering why there were no quantities for the ingredients, scrolled down at the end to find the ingredients listed again below the ads with quantities. Odd. Also you said to remove the central veins of the leaves, so I did, then had huge trouble rolling them, only to see a picture further down the recipe showing that you hadn't, in fact, removed the veins from yours
Janelle Hama
Hi Jake,
Apologies the post wasn't clear.
Based on your feedback, the post has been updated to discuss referring to the recipe card. Better emphasis has been placed on watching the video for how to make the silverbeet rolls.
J