Stuffed tomatoes and other vegetables like onions are more of a fall dish, but I love this dish made in summer. I like stuffed tomatoes and onions made with locally grown heirloom tomatoes and onions. They pack so much flavor! Nothing beats the taste of tomatoes ripened in the heat of the summer. Stuffed with beef and chopped herbs and vegetables, seasoned with aromatic spices, and then baked in one pan with ancient grains such as quinoa and bulgur, they explode with flavor in your mouth. Healthy, loaded with vitamins, and delicious, these one-pan baked stuffed vegetables are a huge hit in our house.
One-pan dish with ancient grains
This dish is one of my new favorite one-pan recipes. Typically, one-pan recipes gravitate toward chicken and vegetables or sausage and vegetables or pasta. I wanted one with ancient grains, which are becoming a favorite in our house. We'd normally cook them separately, which is fairly quick, but I wanted to see if I could cook them together with the main dish.
Ancient grains cooked at the bottom of the pan cook fabulously. Their texture is al dente, which I like. Any type of grain can be used in this recipe, just make sure that the grains are fine, or else they won't cook through enough.
Along with ancient grains, I like adding a little couscous. It adds that chewy texture that we all like so much.
Tomatoes in this recipe
Any large tomato will work in this recipe, but try making it with large, locally-grown heirloom tomatoes when they are in season. Perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes are so good that you can eat them on their own, like an apple. Imagine how stuffed heirloom tomatoes will taste—insanely good!
The stuffing
The stuffing in this recipe is scrumptious. There is so much flavor in it. Sure, it takes a little bit of time to make, but trust me, it's well worth it. Once you try it, you will see why I like it so much.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 600 g ground beef 80% lean (e.g. ground chuck)
- 4 large onions
- 4 large tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic peeled and minced
- 1/4 bunch parsley washed and chopped
- 1 head broccoli washed and cut into small pieces
Grains and couscous
- 40 g quinoa
- 40 g bulgur
- 40 g fine couscous
Tomato sauce mixture
- 500 ml water
- 200 ml tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp mild curry powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 star anise
For frying
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2/3 tsp salt plus more to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper plus more to taste
- 20 g butter
Instructions
- Peel the onions. Bring a pot of salted water to a simmer, making sure there is enough liquid to immerse the whole onions. Add the onions and let them cook for 20 minutes. Remove the onions after 20 minutes, set aside, and let them cool.
- Combine bulgur, quinoa, and couscous and spread evenly on the bottom of a large baking dish. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine water, tomato sauce, and spices (curry, turmeric, anise, and cinnamon). Bring to a boil. Remove the star anise. Pour about 2/3 of the hot mixture over the grains in the baking dish, sprinkle a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, and mix to ensure that the grains are hydrated evenly. Reserve the rest of the tomato sauce mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
- Cut off the bottom part of the onions just enough so that they stand straight. Cut off about 1/3 of the tops off and set them aside. Using a small knife, remove all but two outer layers. Reserve the removed flesh. Put the onions inside the baking dish on top of the grains and cover with the tops.
- Wash the tomatoes. Cut off the top 1/3 of the tomatoes, and set the tops aside. Remove the insides of the tomatoes with a spoon. Reserve the removed flesh. Place the hollowed-out tomatoes inside the baking pan on top of the grains and cover with the tops.
- Chop the reserved insides of the onions and place them in a small bowl. Repeat the same with the tomato flesh and place it in a separate bowl.
- Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, and cook for about 3 minutes or until light coloring appears. Next, add minced garlic and ground meat, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Turn the heat to high and cook until the liquid evaporates, stirring frequently.
- Add the remaining tomato sauce mixture and let the mix cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes.
- Next, add the chopped tomatoes and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
- After that, add the broccoli and chopped parsley. Let simmer for 20 minutes, covering the pan three quaters of the way and stirring every now and again.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Using a spoon, stuff the onions and tomatoes with the mix and cover with the tops. Drizzle with melted butter, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, and bake for 20 minutes.
- If you want the tops to get a nice brown-dark brown color, place the baking dish under a broiler for about 2 minutes, constantly watching the vegetables.
- Serve stuffed vegetables immediately, with pan-cooked grains on the side. Before serving, sprinkle some chopped parsley and drizzle with a bit of olive oil before serving.
Nutrition
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