Stuffed Onions

These Greek Stuffed Onions with a savory rice, herb and vegetable filing are packed with nutritious veggies and loaded with Mediterranean flavors. The stuffed onions are topped with a savory tomato-based sauce that ties the flavors of the filling for a perfectly balanced dish. These gluten free and vegan stuffed onions make for a comforting and elegant entree or side dish. 

Stuffed onions are popular in the Greek islands near Turkey where rice, pine nuts and currants are often used as the filling. Stuffed onions are also featured throughout the Middle East with warm aromatic spices like cumin and cinnamon in the filling.

My version of stuffed onions features sweet potatoes, onions, red bell pepper, celery, red bell pepper and fresh herbs along with long-grain rice and a savory Harissa kokkinisto or tomato-based sauce.

The filling is similar to my gemista (Greek stuffed vegetables) filling, which is what makes these so delicious. A perfect lenten meal, the recipe pairs well with a green salad or horta.

Ingredients in Greek Stuffed Onions

These vegan stuffed onions are easy to make and perfect for meal prep as they reheat beautifully.

• sweet potato - diced sweet potato adds color, flavor, and great texture to these stuffed onions.
• sweet onions - I prefer to use sweet onions for this recipe. They don't make your eyes tear like yellow onions and the peels are slightly bigger, which hold more filling.
• celery - celery adds earthiness and depth of flavor plus complexity to the filling.
• green onions - we use green onions to give us a sharper onion flavor in the filling.
• red bell pepper - we use diced red bell pepper in the filling which adds great color, texture and flavor to the stuffed onions. Any colored pepper (yellow, red or orange) can be used.
• rice - we use long-grain rice in the recipe. You could substitute basmati. I would stay away from arborio as it needs more liquid to be fully cooked.
• garlic - minced garlic is added to the filling to add flavor.
• fresh herbs - we use mint and parsley to add a delicious herby flavor to the filling.
• Harissa paste - we use Harissa, which comes from North Africa and is a paste made of spicy red peppers. This adds an amazing flavor to the stuffed peppers and its not overly spicy, just a hint of heat.
• vegetable broth - we use vegetable broth as a cooking liquid in the filling as well as in the tomato-based sauce on top of the stuffed onions.
• tomato sauce - tomato sauce is used in the filling and well as to create a savory sauce over the stuffed onions before baking.
• salt, pepper, dried oregano - dried herbs add flavor and enhance the dish.
• olive oil - extra virgin olive oil is used to saute the vegetables as well as to drizzle on top of the onions before baking.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Greek Stuffed Onions

Stuffed onions are easy to make using vegetables you likely have on hand. Softening the onions takes a bit of time, but its certainly worth the effort.

Peel onions, removing the tough outer layer, or 2. Make a slit from the center to the outside through each onion.

Place onions in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes until softened.

Remove the onions and let them cool slightly. Separate the large outer skins, leaving the center intact.

Dice the onion core/center for the filling.

In a large saute pan, heat 3-4 tablespoon olive oil. Add the green onions and cooked onions. Saute for 5-6 minutes until tender. Add the red bell pepper, celery, sweet potato, mint, and parsley, and saute for 15 minutes until softened.

Let the mixture cool slightly. Place 1 tablespoon mixture into the center of each onion skin and roll.

In a baking dish, pour a thin layer of the tomato and broth mixture, then add the stuffed onions. Drizzle the tops with olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano and the remaining tomato sauce and broth.

FAQ

What to Serve with Greek Stuffed Onions?

Serve as an entree with a side green salad or horta. You can also serve these as a vegetable side dish along side your favorite meat dishes. They are delicious!

Stuffed Onions

These vegan Greek Stuffed Onions are packed with nutritious veggies and loaded with Mediterranean flavors. The stuffed onions are topped with a savory tomato-based sauce that ties the flavors of the filling for a perfectly balanced dish.

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Keyword: Greek Stuffed Onions, Stuffed Onions, Vegan Stuffed Onions, Vegetarian Stuffed Onions

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 18 stuffed onions

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Eva

Ingredients

• 4 sweet onions
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 sweet potato peeled and diced into ¼" pieces
• 2 stalks celery diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced small
• 4 green onions chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• ½ cup long-grain rice (such as basmati)
• ½ cup mint chopped
• ½ cup parsley chopped
• 2 tablespoons Harissa paste
• 3 cups vegetable broth divided
• 2 cups tomato sauce or your favorite pasta sauce divided
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

• Peel onions, removing tough outer layer or 2. Make a slit from the center to the outside through each onion.
• Place onions in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes until softened.
• Remove the onions and let them cool slightly. Separate the large outer skins, leaving the center intact.
• Dice the onion core/center for the filling.
• In a large saute pan, heat 3-4 tablespoon olive oil. Add the green onions and cooked onions. Saute for 5-6 minutes until tender. Add the red bell pepper, celery, sweet potato, mint, parsley and saute for 15 minutes until softened. Add the 1 cup tomato sauce, Harissa, salt, pepper, rice and 1 ½ cups vegetable broth. Stir the mixture and cook for 10 minutes to par-boil the rice and softened the veggies
• Let the mixture cool slightly. Place 1 tablespoon mixture into the center of each onion skin and roll.
• In a baking dish, pour thin layer of the tomato and broth mixture, then add the stuffed onions. Drizzle the tops with olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano and the remaining tomato sauce and broth.
• Cover with foil, Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove foil, baste the onion tops with the cooking liquids. Place back into the oven uncovered for 15 minutes.

Video

Notes

Note - the nutrition facts for this recipe are per onion.  I consider 1 serving 3 to 4 onions.  The recipe yields 18 stuffed onions with filling left over. 

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2341IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]: