Stuffed Onions
Published Feb 24, 2026
These stuffed onions are filled with seasoned ground beef and rice, then baked in a tomato sauce - a delicious Middle Eastern–inspired recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Jump to Section
Mediterranean Stuffed Onions
If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I make a lot of stuffed recipes, like stuffed peppers, stuffed eggplant and stuffed grape leaves. These stuffed onions aren’t something I grew up eating, but I was inspired to try them using a Middle Eastern–style stuffing similar to what I use in my other recipes dishes.
If you’re thinking that’s a lot of onions and that you’re not that big of an onion fan, just know that the onions become soft and caramelized when you cook them, so their flavor is not very prominent. These stuffed onions are another way to use those same stuffing flavors in a slightly different (and really impressive-looking) way.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Stuffed Onions Ingredients
- Onions: You’ll need medium yellow onions that have big enough layers to stuff and roll but not too big. Boiling them briefly helps soften the layers so they’re easy to separate.
- Ground beef: I use 85% lean ground beef because it has enough fat for flavor without being greasy. You can also use 90% lean if you prefer.
- Short-grain rice: Rinse it well so the grains stay separate inside the onion rolls.
- Roma tomatoes: Finely chop them so they melt right into the filling.
- Parsley: Use fresh parsley for the best flavor or substitute the ½ cup fresh parsley for 2 tablespoons dried parsley.
- Spices: I use 7 Spice and coriander along with salt and pepper.
- Tomato Sauce: I whisk together water, olive oil, tomato paste and pomegranate molasses to make the sauce. You don’t need to season it since the rice stuffed onions seasoning will release those flavors into the sauce.
How to Make Stuffed Onions
Stuffed Onions
Ingredients
Onions
- 5 large yellow onions
- Water for boiling
Filling
- 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 1 cup short-grain rice rinsed and drained
- 2 Roma tomatoes finely chopped
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons 7 Spice
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Tomato sauce
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut off both ends of the onions and make a shallow slit down one side into the core of the onion. Place the onions in the pot of boiling water and boil for 8–10 minutes until slightly tender. Drain, cool, then gently separate into individual onion layers. You can save the core 2-3 layers for another use.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, tomatoes, parsley, 7 Spice, coriander, salt, and black pepper. Mix until just combined.
- Take one onion layer, place about 1–2 tablespoons of filling inside, and roll gently (not too tight because the rice needs room to expand). Repeat with remaining onion layers and filling. You should have 6-7 layers per onion.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the stuffed onions seam-side down in a wide oven-safe skillet with a lid, packing them snugly in a single layer or slightly overlapping.
- In a bowl, whisk together the water, olive oil, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses and salt. Pour evenly over the onions.
- Bake in the preheated oven covered for 60 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 15 more minutes. Broil for 2-3 minutes if desired.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Spoon extra sauce over the top and serve.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overboil the onions. You want them soft enough to separate, but not so soft that they tear easily when rolling.
- Rinse the rice well. This keeps the filling from getting gummy and helps the grains cook up nicely inside the onion layers.
- Don’t pack the filling too tight. The rice expands while baking, so leave a little room inside each roll.
- Pack them snugly in the pan. This keeps the ground beef stuffed onions upright and prevents them from unraveling as they bake.
FAQs
This usually happens if the rolls were packed too tightly or if there wasn’t enough liquid in the pan. Make sure the sauce covers the bottom of the dish well and that you leave space inside each onion roll.
This usually happens if the onion layers were overboiled or if they weren’t packed snugly in the pan. You want the boil the onions just soft enough to separate, but not too soft that they feel mushy. Also, make sure to place them seam-side down and arrange them tightly so they support each other as they bake.
