Mixed Stuffed Vegetables with Rice and Meat

Mixed Stuffed Vegetables with Rice and Meat … This dish features a variety of vegetables like tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers, stuffed with a mixture of rice, ground meat, and herbs, then simmered in a tomato sauce in the oven until tender and flavorful. It’s a rich, satisfying dish perfect for lunch or special gatherings.

Ingredients

– For the Filling:

• Onion: 1 medium (chopped)
• Rice: 1.5 cups (rinsed and soaked)
• Ground Meat: 1 pound
• Olive Oil: 0.5 cup
• Tomato Paste: 1.5 tablespoons
• Tomato Sauce: 0.25 cup
• Parsley: 0.5 cup (chopped)
• Mint: 0.25 cup (chopped)
• Salt: 1.5 teaspoons
• Black Pepper: 0.5 teaspoon
• Water: 0.5 cup

– For the Tomato Sauce:

• Tomatoes: 2 cups (pureed)
• Tomato Paste: 3 teaspoons
• Tomato Sauce: 0.33 cup
• Olive Oil: 0.5 cup
• Water: 0.75 cup
• Sugar: 0.75 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste
• Black Pepper: to taste

– Tomatoes: 6 large, ripe

– Eggplant: 2 small

– Zucchini: 2 medium

– Bell Peppers: 2 medium

– Potatoes: 2 medium (optional)

– Salt: for seasoning the inside of the vegetables

Instructions

1. Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the pulp, reserving it.
2. Gently hollow out the zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers, setting them aside. Lightly salt the inside of the vegetables.
3. Slice the potatoes into rounds (if using).
4. Rinse the rice and soak for 15 minutes, then drain.
5. Heat the olive oil and sauté the onion until softened. Add the ground meat and cook until browned.
6. Stir in the tomato paste and tomato sauce. Add the rice and sauté for one minute.
7. Add the parsley, mint, salt, pepper, and water. Cook the mixture briefly, then let it cool.
8. Combine the reserved tomato pulp with the tomato paste and tomato sauce.
9. Add the water, olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar, and stir well.
10. Fill the hollowed-out vegetables with the meat and rice mixture, leaving about three-quarters of the space filled, as the rice will expand during cooking.
11. Arrange the stuffed vegetables in a baking dish. Tuck the potato slices (if using) among them. Pour the tomato sauce mixture over everything.
12. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 45 minutes.
13. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are fully cooked and tender. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving hot.