Greek Stuffed Onions (Print Version)
Tender onions filled with beef and rice filling, baked in tomato sauce
# What You Need:
→ Onions
01 - 8 large yellow onions
→ Filling
02 - 10.5 oz ground beef
03 - 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
04 - 1 medium tomato, grated
05 - 1 small carrot, finely grated
06 - 2 tbsp olive oil
07 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
08 - 1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
09 - 1 tsp dried oregano
10 - 1 garlic clove, minced
11 - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Sauce
13 - 1 2/3 cups tomato passata or strained tomatoes
14 - 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp water
15 - 2 tbsp olive oil
16 - 1/2 tsp sugar
17 - Salt and pepper, to taste
# How-To:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F.
02 - Trim the root and stem ends of the onions. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add whole onions, and simmer for 12–15 minutes until just tender. Drain and let cool slightly.
03 - Carefully peel off the outer layers of each onion, aiming for 2–3 large layers per onion to use for stuffing. Reserve the inner cores for another use or finely chop and add to the filling.
04 - In a bowl, combine ground beef, rice, grated tomato, grated carrot, olive oil, parsley, mint, oregano, garlic, cinnamon, and reserved chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.
05 - Lay out onion layers, place a generous spoonful of filling in the center of each, and roll or fold to enclose the filling securely.
06 - Arrange stuffed onions seam-side down in a baking dish.
07 - In a jug, mix tomato passata, water, olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour the sauce over the stuffed onions.
08 - Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 50 minutes.
09 - Remove foil and bake for another 20–25 minutes, until golden and the sauce has thickened.
10 - Rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with extra parsley if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The onions become meltingly tender and sweet, their natural sugars deepening in the oven until they practically dissolve against your tongue
- This is the kind of dish that tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for meal prep or feeding a crowd
02 -
- Overstuffing the onions will cause them to burst open during baking, so resist the urge to add too much filling to each layer
- The rice continues to absorb liquid while resting, so the filling should feel slightly loose before baking
03 -
- Work quickly when peeling the warm onions, as they become more difficult to separate once they have cooled completely
- If your onion layers tear, overlap two smaller pieces to patch the hole before adding the filling