Greek Stuffed Onions Tomato Sauce (Printable)
Tender onions stuffed with beef, rice, and herbs, baked in rich tomato sauce
# What You Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 8 large yellow onions
→ Filling
02 - 10.5 ounces ground beef
03 - 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
04 - 1 medium tomato, grated
05 - 1 small carrot, finely grated
06 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
08 - 1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
09 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
10 - 1 garlic clove, minced
11 - 1/2 teaspoon 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 tablespoon water
15 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
16 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar
17 - Salt and pepper, to taste
# How To Make:
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 Hints:
01 -
- The onions become meltingly tender while developing a natural sweetness that perfectly balances the savory beef filling
- Its one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for meal prep or leftovers
02 -
- Dont skip boiling the onions first, they need that initial softening to become pliable enough for stuffing
- The rice will continue cooking in the oven, so dont worry if it feels slightly underdone when you're mixing the filling
03 -
- Use the largest onions you can find, they're much easier to work with and hold more filling
- Reserve some of that onion boiling water to add to the sauce if it needs extra flavor