Aug 26, 20223 min read

Stuffing Vegetables Part 2

Updated: Aug 27, 2022

The filling you choose to stuff your vegetables makes a big difference to the resulting taste. This is a simple dish with a lot of variety.

In the last post I described how to prepare zucchini stuffed with meat. This week I will explain how to prepare the other vegetables that are commonly stuffed— peppers, tomatoes, and onions—and give you the recipes for the cheese and rice stuffings.

How to prepare peppers, tomatoes, and onions

Prep time: 10 – 20 minutes depending on the vegetable you choose

Total time: 15 – 25 minutes using microwave

30 – 40 minutes using oven

Peppers: (green, red, yellow)

a. Cut the top ½” off, reserve the top, and remove the seeds and membrane.

b. Once stuffed place the top of the pepper on top before cooking.

Tomatoes:

a. Cut off the top ½” of the tomato and set aside, remove the seeds, pulp, and clean out the center.

b. Place top, on the stuffed tomato before cooking.

Onions:

a. Select sweet onion because it is wide and best suited for stuffing.

b. Slice off the top ½”. With a spoon scoop out the center of the onion leaving the sides and bottom intact.

To pre-cook the vegetables, you can place them in your microwave on high for 3-4 minutes until they have softened but still hold their shape. Or, place them into a preheated oven at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cheese stuffing

The time for prepping the vegetables is above

Serves: 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Preheat oven 400°

Ingredients

Select 4 of the above vegetables

2 onions, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Rosemary, 1 sprig, chopped fine

1 cup goat cheese

½ cup Swiss cheese grated (do not buy pre-grated cheese*)

1 egg

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Prepare your vegetables as indicated above.

Chop onions, garlic fine, cook in pan with olive oil; let them get transparent not brown.

Chop the rosemary fine.

Using a fork, break up the goat cheese and blend in onion, garlic, rosemary, and egg. Mix well to combine. Add the Swiss cheese and salt and pepper.

Stuff your vegetables so they are full.

Sprinkle the vegetables with olive oil.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve hot.

The following recipe uses tuna but if you want to make it vegetarian, substitute 1 cup chopped mushroom for the tuna and 1 cup chopped spinach and cook them with the onions and garlic, adding an extra tablespoon of oil and a few minutes of cooking time.

Rice and tuna stuffing for vegetables

Serves 4

Prep time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Preheat oven 350°

Ingredients

Select 4 of the above vegetables

1 can albacore tuna

1 cup rice

1 onion finely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bouillon cube or 1 tablespoon of bouillon paste

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 sprigs thyme

Salt and pepper

Directions

Heat 4 cups of water with the bouillon.
Put oil in pan, add onion, heat until it just starts to brown.
Add rice to pan and blend well with oil and onion.
Add the hot broth, cover, cook on low heat about 15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the rice is still al dente.
While rice is cooking, drain tuna and break up, add and mix in the thyme.
When rice is cooked mix in chopped parsley
Add 2 cups rice to the tuna, mix well and stuff your vegetables.
Place in an ovenproof dish and cover with aluminum foil 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue cooking 15 minutes.
Serve immediately.

These recipes are flexible so don’t hesitate to make changes. I always recommend that you follow the recipe once before you alter it. If you vary it, don’t forget to write down what you did so you can repeat the recipe.

It is always a shame to make something really good and not remember how you made it. Le Kitchen Cookbook: a Workbook was designed to have a place to make notes, adjust recipes, and write down those great meals you create.

Bon Appétit