Greek bulgur stuffed vegetables.
It’s something I crave every summer when the temperature is hot, the sun is out late into the evening and the vegetables are plentiful. Plus it takes me back to Greece. It’s definitely a nostalgic dish for me.
My little guy loves it because it is filled with his favourite; tomatoes and rice, but when you add in bulgur or quinoa or other whole grains, they get added nutrition but with a familiar food. Moms are experts at hiding nutrition in foods aren’t we!?
This dish is great because it’s super satisfying, nutrient dense of course and looks like a fancy dish but it really is easier than it looks!
My Theia Kiki taught me some tricks to bring the flavours of the vegetables out even more, specifically the tomatoes and peppers…sprinkle a dash of sugar in the hollow tomato and a dash of salt in the peppers. Whether it does enhance them or not is up to you but all I know is “don’t mess with the original recipe!”. ☺️
Now, this recipe is intended to be modifiable, meaning, the veggies can be whatever you have or whatever looks good at the market; tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, but it has to be something that can be hollowed out and stuffed. Also, the grain can be what you have on hand also; rice, quinoa, bulgur, lentils, basmati rice, brown rice, freekeh, wheat berries, etc, etc. This is where I DO mess with the recipe! The idea is to make it and make it often but to change it up so to keep it interesting!
I serve my stuffed veggies with a side salad and feta because yes, I eat feta with everything. Tzatziki on the side is also delish!
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- ½ lb, ground beef (sub out beef for 1 cup chickpeas or 1 cup cooked lentils for veg option)
- ½ cup bulgur wheat, coarse
- ½ cup brown rice
- 2 cup water
- 2 cup tomato puree
- 3 lbs assorted vegetables,tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini or peppers
- Heat olive oil in dutch oven or large saute pan.
- Add chopped onion and cook over medium heat until translucent and fragrant.
- Add ground beef and cook until brown. *skip for veg option
- Rinse bulgur and rice until cold water until water runs clear, drain.
- Add bulgur and rice to pan and add 1 cup water and 1 cup tomato puree to pan and stir.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Simmer until rice is cooked through.
- *Add in cooked chickpeas or lentils for veg option
- Hollow out vegetables with a tablespoon.
- Fill veggies with rice and beef mixture and top with their own lid (see picture).
- Place stuffed vegetables in a shallow casserole dish and fill bottom of dish halfway with remaining water and tomato sauce (helps cook the veggies quicker).
- Cover and bake in a oven preheated to 350F for 30-45 min.
- Test doneness of veggies by pricking with a knife.
- ENJOY
Nutrition: Meat option
Nutrition: Vegetarian option
