The Best Stuffed Vegetables on the plate

If you love a vegetable lunch but prefer something substantial, go for stuffed vegetables. It’s a great way to use the gifts of summer and eat well at the same time. You can let your imagination run wild on this one. You could make it with all kind s of ground meat or even a sausage. Of curse there will be plenty of only vegetarian options, when you can load of extra vegetables, and mushrooms.

Stuffed vegetables filled with pasta, barley, or rice with the addition of meat or other vegetables are a great dish for a summer dinner. Those dishes are  extremely colorful and full of vitamins, and it will keep you full for a long time. Just hollow out your favorite vegetable, fill it with tasty stuffing, bake it and the delicious dish is ready! Summer is a great time for such dishes, then vegetables taste best, are cheap and you can eat them as much as you want.

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Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients:

  • 3 minced chicken breasts or 1 medium turkey breast
  • 1.5 -2 pieces of eggplant
  • 2/3 cup tomato puree
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 onion
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1/2 season
  • 4 teaspoons of olive oil
  • or rapeseed oil
  • 3 slices of mozzarella
  • 1 pinch of salt and pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite herbs
  • 1 teaspoon of parsley

Preparations:

  • Cut the eggplant lengthwise in half. We hollow out the flesh with a spoon, leaving about ½ cm of edges. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and set aside for several minutes. Meanwhile, we prepare the stuffing
  • Sprinkle the minced meat with herbs, salt, and pepper
  • Peel the onion and garlic and chop them finely
  • Wash the paprika and cut it into cubes. Peel a small piece of leek and cut it into slices
  • Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, fry the onion and garlic until they are glazed, then add the meat and fry it while stirring for about 3 minutes
  • Add paprika and leek
  • Fry, stirring all the time, until the vegetables are tender. We can season it to taste with herbs
  • Add the tomato puree and stir until the puree boils
  • Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees
  • With a paper towel, collect the eggplant juice and put on the finished stuffing
  • Put the finished halves on a baking tray lined with baking paper and put them in the oven
  • After about 15 minutes, remove, sprinkle with chopped mozzarella, and bake for a few more minutes, until the cheese melts
  • Sprinkle the finished eggplants with parsley and they are ready to eat.
  • Enjoy

Sweet potato

Ingredients:

  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 1 serving of chicken or turkey breast
  • 2 teaspoons of olive oil or rapeseed oil
  • 2 pieces of mini mozzarella or gouda cheese
  • 1 piece of red onion
  • 1/2 piece of red pepper
  • 1/2 piece of green pepper
  • 1/2 piece of yellow pepper
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1/5 teaspoon of your favorite herbs

Preparations:

  • Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly and cut them along one edge with a fork
  • Put the sweet potatoes on a baking tray with the cut side facing up, put them in the oven preheated to 375 F and bake for about 30-35 minutes (the exact time depends on the size of the sweet potatoes), pull out when they are soft
  • Peel the onion and cut into feathers. Wash the peppers thoroughly and cut them into strips. Season the vegetables, pour olive oil over them and mix. Place the chopped and seasoned vegetables on the second baking sheet covered with baking paper
  • Thoroughly wash and season the chicken breasts, then place them in full on the baking tray with the vegetables and put them in the oven
  • To save time, we can bake both sweet potatoes and chicken with vegetables at the same time. Chicken should be baked for about 20 minutes
  • Once the sweet potatoes are cooked and cooled down, hollow out the center with a spoon. The pulp can be added to the stuffing or used to prepare sweet potato puree
  • Tear the chicken with a fork into small pieces
  • Mix the torn chicken with vegetables and place them in the hollow sweet potatoes
  • Cut two mini mozzarella balls into cubes and sprinkle the sweet potatoes on top
  • Put it in the oven for 10 minutes. After baking, the dish is ready!

Zucchini

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 medium size zucchini
  • 1lb of ground turkey meat
  • 2 colored peppers
  • 1 / 4 cup of white mushrooms
  • onion,
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • pickled tomatoes in pieces with herbs
  • tomato concentrate
  • ketchup
  • salt and  pepper
  • olive oil
  • grated cheese

Preparations:

  • Heat a few drops of olive oil. Peel the onion, dice it and sauté in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the minced meat and lightly fry it with the garlic pressed through the press.
  • Dice the peppers, add to the meat.
  • When the pepper is a little soft, add the peeled mushrooms cut into small pieces. Add canned tomatoes, a tablespoon of tomato paste and a tablespoon of ketchup. Simmer it all together for a few minutes.
  • The food should be quite dense. Season with salt, pepper or paprika.
  • Cut the zucchini lengthwise in half. Peel the skin (or not, if you prefer). Scoop out the pulp with a spoon and put the stuffing inside. Place in an ovenproof dish.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake, covered, for about 20 minutes. Then remove the lid, sprinkle with grated cheese, and bake without covering for another 10 minutes.
  • Serve whole hot and bubbly brown.

Peppers

Ingredients:

  • 6 large peppers of different colors
  • 1/2 cup of couscous
  • 1/3 cup of feta cheese
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • a small zucchini
  • handful of black olives
  • tomato
  • oregano
  • salt and pepper

Preparations:

  • Pour the groats into a bowl and pour water over them so that the liquid reaches less than the level of the groats. Set aside for 5 minutes, covered.
  • Meanwhile, blanch and peel the tomato. Peel the zucchini, grate them with a coarse mesh and squeeze out the juice.
  • Dice the tomato and feta cheese.
  • Mix all ingredients together.
  • Add the pressed garlic and spices.
  • Cut the pepper in half lengthwise, cut out the seeds.
  • Put the stuffing inside the pepper, pressing it lightly so that it fills every nook and cranny.
  • Place the peppers in a dish or a baking dish and put in the hot oven for about 35-40 minutes.
  • serve hot

Tomato

Ingredients:

  • 8-10 oz ground pork
  • 8 large tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons of your favorite Bolognese seasoning (can be store bought)
  • 1 large can of tinned tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 1 cup of cooked rice
  • 1 whole mozzarella
  • 2 tablespoons of oil

Preparations:

  • Fry the minced meat and diced onion for about 8 minutes, until browned. Cook the rice.
  • To the meat, add chopped canned tomatoes along with the juice and Bolognese seasoning . Mix everything and stew until it thickens well.
  • Mix the stuffing with the previously cooked rice. You can additionally season it with fresh herbs, e.g., basil.
  • Use fresh tomatoes to cut the hats with a tail and remove the seeds with a spoon. You can chop the tomato seeds and add them to the meat stuffing.
  • Put the stuffing on the empty tomatoes. Put a slice of mozzarella cheese on top.
  • Cover the tomatoes with hats and bake at 390 ° F for 10 minutes.

Portabella Mushrooms 

Ingredients:

  • 6 very large portobello mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup of roasted buckwheat
  • 1 x 12 oz can of minced tomatoes (with juice)
  • 5 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves
  • 4 large cloves of garlic
  • 2 small onions
  • 1.5 teaspoons of tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, grated
  • 1/3 cup of gouda cheese, grated
  • a large bunch of parsley
  • 4 tablespoons of clarified butter
  • salt pepper

Additionally:

  • a bit of rapeseed oil, to grease the mold
  • chopped parsley, to garnish

Preparations:

Stuffing:

  • cook the groats according to the instructions. I use instant pot, but regular stovetop pot with hot water is perfect as well. When it is done, stir with a fork. Set aside.
  • Wipe the portobello mushrooms with a damp cloth. Cut out the feet. Put the hats away for later. Dice the legs.
  • Peel the onion and garlic and dice them into small cubes.
  • Wash and dry the spinach leaves.
  • Wash the parsley, dry it, remove the hard stalks, and chop finely.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of clarified butter in a large frying pan. Add the chopped onion and when it’s translucent, add the garlic, mix, and cook for 1.5 minutes. Add chopped mushroom legs and fry for another 1.5 minutes. Add the sliced ​​tomatoes and cook over medium heat until the tomato juice is almost completely evaporated, about 8-10 minutes. Gradually add the spinach and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Remove from heat and put into a bowl with buckwheat. Add the tomato paste, mix, and set aside until it is completely cool.
  • Add grated gouda cheese (whole), half grated mozzarella cheese and chopped parsley to the cooled stuffing. Mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper generously (the stuffing should be spicy).

Mushrooms:

  • Heat 3 tablespoons of clarified butter in a large frying pan. Put in the mushroom caps and fry them over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side. While frying, sprinkle the mushrooms with salt and pepper.
  • Put the fried hats on a plate lined with a paper towel, place them with the baking trays facing up. Let stand for 5-6 minutes, then fill them generously with the stuffing, pressing it with a spoon against the inside of the hat.
  • Brush the large baking dish with a little rapeseed oil. Put the stuffed mushroom caps in it. Put in an oven preheated to 375 ° F for about 20-25 minutes. 6 minutes before the end of baking the mushrooms, sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
  • Garnish with chopped parsley, serve immediately.

Kohlrabi

Ingredients:

  • 4 large kohlrabi
  • 1 cup of buckwheat
  • 2/3 cup of smoked yellow cheese
  • 2 carrots
  • 4 large white mushrooms
  • 1/2 of an onion
  • fresh oregano
  • chives
  • coriander
  • pepper
  • ground dried tomatoes
  • salt

Preparations:

  • Boil buckwheat in lightly salted water so that the groats are soft but wet ( If all the water evaporates, you need to add it. Otherwise, after baking, the grits will be very dry)
  • Peel the kohlrabi and cook them whole for about 15 minutes, they must remain crispy.
  • Meanwhile, grate the carrots, onions and mushrooms on a coarse grater and stew them in a saucepan with a minimum amount of water for about 5 minutes, add a little cheese, also grated, pepper and greens.
  • When the cooked kohlrabi has cooled down, cut off the top cover. Then we drill, leaving a wall about a 1/2 inch  thick.
  • Put the stuffing of carrots and mushrooms into the hollow kohlrabi, cover with the cut part.
  • Put buckwheat in a casserole dish, or any heat-resistant dish, and sprinkle with dried tomatoes. You can also add kohlrabi scoop out flesh (chopped finely).
  • Place filled  kohlrabi on the groats and sprinkle the top with the rest of the grated cheese.
  • Bake until the cheese is browned.
  • Before serving, sprinkle with greens and freshly ground pepper.

Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium-sized onion
  • 1 teaspoon of butter
  • 2 cloves of garlic,
  • 1-2 packs of frozen spinach depending on size
  • 2/3 cup of sera feta,
  • a few tablespoons of cream cheese,
  • 8 medium-sized potatoes,
  • optional: prawns, ham, or smoked bacon,
  • salt,
  • pepper,
  • sweet pepper,
  • Herbs de Provence.

Preparations:

  • Thoroughly scrub the potatoes, rinse and dry. Wrap each one separately in aluminum foil. Put in an oven preheated to 375 degrees F and bake for about 60 minutes. Check their softness with a fork, as depending on the size and variety, the baking time may vary slightly.
  • Peel and chop the onion and garlic, brown in butter.
  • Add frozen spinach to the pan, stew, covered, until it defrosts a little.
  • Season with spices, stew for about 10 minutes. When seasoning with salt, consider that feta cheese is salty on its own and is easy to overdo!
  • Add crushed feta cheese and cream cheese to the spinach mixture. Mix everything together.
  • If you want to enrich the stuffing with shrimps, ham, or smoked bacon, prepare them separately and then mix with the stuffing. Slice the ham or bacon and sauté for a while. Clean the prawns, rinse, season lightly and fry briefly – do not keep them in the pan for too long so that they do not become rubbery.
  • Cut the cooled and toasted potatoes into halves and hollow them shallowly.
  • You can add the hollow potato pulp to the prepared stuffing.
  • Now stuff the potatoes. You can then bake them for a while to make them crunchy – e.g., for 10-15 minutes at 390 degrees F.
  • Serve the stuffed potatoes warm or cold.

Onion

Ingredients:

  • 8 large onions
  • 1/2 lb of minced meat of your choice
  • 1 can of chickpeas
  • 6 oz of spinach
  • 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 1 fresh cucumber, peeled, seedless
  • 1/2 cup of sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons of Oregano
  • 1 teaspoon Basil
  • 1 tablespoon sweet pepper
  • 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
  • Pepper
  • Sea salt

Preparations:

  • In peeled onions, cut the top and bottom gently, then put them in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Cook until soft, hollow the center – so that you get bowls. Dice the hollow center of the onion.
  • Fry the chopped onion until golden brown, add the meat, fry until the meat is golden brown. Add chickpeas, concentrate, 1 teaspoon of garlic, paprika, and herbs. Fry it all together for a few minutes, then add the spinach, season with salt and pepper.
  • Fill the onions with the stuffing.
  • Brush the onions with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes. at 375 F.
  • Mix the cream with 1 teaspoon of garlic, season with salt and pepper.
  • Before serving, sprinkle the onions with finely diced cucumber and a tablespoon of sour cream.

Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

  • 2 large butternut squash
  • 1 onion
  • 1 cup of vegetable stock
  • 2 lb. of your choice of minced meat
  • 2/3 cup of rice (cooked)
  • 1/3 red beans (canned / cooked)
  • 1/3 chickpeas (canned / cooked)
  • 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (grated)
  • 5 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon of oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparations:

  • Preheat oven to 375 ° F.
  • Wash the butternut squash and cut in half (lengthwise). Use a spoon to remove the seeds. Brush each half with olive oil and season with salt.
  • Transfer to a baking tray and bake for 40-50 minutes or until they are tender. You can gently score the flesh in a checkered pattern (the longer part).
  • Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, add the finely chopped onion and simmer until the onion is soft and translucent.
  • Increase the heat and add the minced meat. When the meat is almost fried, add the vegetable broth, tomato puree and spices.
  • Cook for about 6-8 minutes. Finally, add the cooked rice, chickpeas and beans and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Fill the baked pumpkins with the prepared stuffing. If there is not enough space, use a spoon to remove some of the pumpkin. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and put in the oven for 10 minutes.

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