Buckle up, cuz you’re about to be WOW’d by these Lebanese Roasted Stuffed Onions. Onions baked until they’re soft and mellow with each layer cradling a savory, herby filling of ground meat (or hey, a vegan beef substitute for my plant-based pals).

And the best is that they’re surprisingly easy to whip up! Cooking for a cozy dinner at home or prepping for a glamorous dinner party? Either way, these onions are a show-stopper.

Lebanese Roasted Stuffed Onions Recipe

Why These Stuffed Onions Are So Good

  • Effortlessly Easy: Who said impressive dishes have to be complicated? The cooking process for these delicious stuffed onions is simple and straightforward. From the rice and spices to the wrapping process, each simple step leads to great flavor.
  • Spice Symphony: It’s a melody of warming spices: a pinch of allspice, a dash of cinnamon, and a sprinkle of coriander. The spices come together to create a symphony in your mouth, and a depth and warmth with each bite.
  • A Dinner Party Darling: Looking for a great recipe to dazzle your next gathering? These roasted beauties are not only delicious but also look stunning on a plate. Truly a statement piece kind of dish.
  • Versatile Vibe: Whether you’re craving a side dish, an appetizer, or a hearty main, these stuffed onions are your go-to. They’re a wildly versatile stuffed vegetable. 

Ingredients 

  • Onions 
  • White rice
  • Tomato paste
  • Spices: cinnamon, allspice, ground cumin
  • Coriander
  • Ground meat (the original recipe uses lamb)
  • White wine vinegar or cider vinegar
  • Sugar
  • Olive oil

How To Make These Stuffed Onions – Step by Step

  • Soak your rice in a bowl of cold water. 
  • Bring a large pot of water (enough water to cover a whole onion by 1″) to a boil. 
  • Cut off the very top and bottom of each onion. With a sharp knife, make a cut down one side of each onion, ensuring that cut reaches the center of the onion.  Add the onions to the pot, and let them cook for 10 minutes or until the layers soften and separate easily.
  • Drain the rice completely. In a large mixing bowl, add the drained rice, tomato paste, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cilantro or parsley and ground meat. Mix well.
  • When the onions have finished cooking, remove and drain from the boiling water. Let cool and separate out the layers of the onions individually. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the meat filling into the middle of the onion layer, wrapping it around the filling, but not too tightly, as you should allow the raw rice to expand during cooking.
  • In a large, oven-safe saute pan over medium-high heat, swirl in the olive oil. When pan is hot, place the filled, soft onions cut side down. Let cook for 2 minutes until the bottoms have browned slightly. Add vinegar to the pan and sprinkle the top of the onions with sugar. Cover the pan and turn the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until the meat and rice are fully cooked, rotating the onions halfway during cooking.

Lebanese Roasted Stuffed Onions in bowl

Stuffed Onions – An Easy Appetizer

What I loved about this dish was that each “stuffed” onion just uses a single layer of onion and that the presentation was so beautiful.

The onion is boiled for a few minutes until the layers are soft and pliable. Each layer of the onion is gently taken apart, stuffed with ground meat (try ground lamb!), warming spices like allspice, cinnamon and coriander, basmati rice and then then roasted. What a nice surprise to open up a rolled onion to find a savory, meaty filling!

What Are The Best Onions To Use?

Yellow onions are great for roasting. Yellow onions are also higher in vitamin C as compared to other onion varieties. Vidalia onions are good too, but any kind will work, including white onions, red onions, and sweet onions. 

 

appetizer in bowl

Can I Make These Vegetarian?

You sure can! These stuffed onions are a great vegetarian appetizer, vegan dish, or even just a side. Just omit the ground meat and add a touch more rice. Or you can use some chopped roasted peppers, or other roasted veggies, whatever takes your fancy!

onions and lemon wedge

Top Tips For These Stuffed Onions

  • You can make these vegetarian by omitting the ground beef.
  • If you want to keep it traditional use ground lamb. Ground chicken is also a great filling!
  • Make a cut down one side of each of the onions, cutting into the center from top to bottom. This helps the onion layers cook evenly and make it easier to peel.
  • Serve as a side or an appetizer.

five stuffed onions

Lebanese Roasted Stuffed Onions Recipe Video

Check Out These Other Great Appetizers

Have you tried these Stuffed Onions? Feel free to leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

This Lebanese Roasted Stuffed Onions recipe is from a book called The Food and Cooking of the Middle East.

Lebanese Roasted Stuffed Onions

Jaden Hair
These Lebanese Roasted Stuffed Onions are baked to perfection, until they're mellow and tender. Stuffed with a delicious herby and ground meat filling. Easy to make and so tasty!
4.80 from 5 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine lebanese, middle eastern
Servings 8 servings
Calories 215 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 extra-large onions or 3 large onions
  • 1 cup white rice
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro or parsley reserve some for garnish
  • 1 pound ground meat of your choice original recipe uses lamb
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
  • 3 pinches of sugar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
 

  • The first step is to soak your rice in a bowl cool water. The rice will absorb some of the water -- we'll drain off the water in a later step.
  • Fill a pot with water (enough to cover a whole onion by 1" and bring to a boil. Cut off the very top and bottom of each onion. Make a cut down one side of each of the onions, cutting into the center from top to bottom. This helps the onion layers cook evenly and make it easier to peel. Add the onions, and let them cook for 10 minutes or until the layers soften and separate easily.
  • Drain the rice completely. In a large mixing bowl, add the drained rice, tomato paste, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cilantro or parsley and ground meat. Mix well.
  • When the onions have finished cooking, remove and drain from the boiling water. Let cool and separate out the layers individually and place 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling, wrap onion around filling, but not too tightly to allow rice to expand during cooking.
  • In a large, oven-safe saute pan over medium-high heat, swirl in the olive oil. When pan is hot, place the onions seam-side down. Let cook for 2 minutes until the bottoms have browned slightly. Add vinegar to the pan and sprinkle the tops of the onions with sugar. Cover the pan and turn the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until the meat and rice are fully cooked, rotating the onions halfway during cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 215kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 12gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 490mgPotassium: 396mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 157IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg
Keyword lebanese onions, roasted onions, stuffed onions
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 


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