Baked Stuffed Vegetables With Mint, Dill, Rice, and Red Beans
To download a Spanish translation of this recipe click here.
Servings: 6
Calories: 680kcal
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Ingredients
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- 1 cup onions finely chopped
- 1 pound lamb ground
- 1 head garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 cup rice long grain
- ½ cup pine nuts toasted
- 1 cup red beans small, cooked
- ½ cup currants plumped
- ⅓ cup dill
- ⅓ cup mint
- ⅓ cup parsley chopped
- 6 tomatoes
- 6 green bell peppers
- 1 cup vegetable stock with water
- 1½ cups tomato purée
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- sugar a pinch
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- To prepare the vegetables: Cut the tops off the tomatoes and bell peppers and hollow out until only a shell is left. Reserve the tomato pulp and purée in a blender until a liquid is formed and reserve. Place the vegetables into a baking pan (a pan large enough to hold the vegetables upright) and set aside.
- To make the filling: In a pan over medium heat, cook the onions in ⅓ cup of olive oil until translucent and golden. Add the lamb, garlic, and spices and cook till the lamb is cooked through. Over the heat source, mix in the rice, pine nuts, currants, and herbs along with the tomato pulp purée. Mix well and season with salt and pepper and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. If the tomato pulp is dry, add additional water to the rice, if needed. (Note: Long grain rice cooks at a ratio of 1½ times water to rice, so you are looking for about 1½ cups of liquid total from the tomato pulp and the liquid coming from the vegetable shells. It should be close.)
- Season each of the vegetable shells lightly and stuff three-fourths full with the rice mixture. Keep in mind the stuffing will swell as it cooks, so don’t fill too much, as the vegetables will burst as they cook. Once filled, replace the tops.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Combine the tomato purée, water, and the last ⅓ cup of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and pour this over the stuffed vegetables and potatoes. Sprinkle a small amount of sugar on the top for browning. Place the baking pan in the preheated oven and cook for about 1 to 1½ hours. Baste the vegetables occasionally to moisten then, but expect the tops of the vegetable to begin to brown slightly as they get tender. If the pan threatens gets too dry, you can add additional water to remoisten. To check for doneness, the vegetables (potatoes included) should be tender and browned slightly and the rice should be fully cooked. Remove the vegetables from the oven and allow them to cool in their pan for an hour or so before serving warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Recipes developed by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service to the Northarvest Bean Growers Association.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 680kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 390mg | Potassium: 1225mg | Fiber: 8.5g | Sugar: 12g | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 5.8mg