Slow Cooker Stuffed Onions

If you've never heard of stuffed onions, or if you have never been a fan of onions, beware that these chubby little gems will make you a convert.

Onion shells, stuffed with rice and meat mixture then slow-cooked to perfection in delicious tomato sauce. Perfect fall/winter comfort food, although I don't mind having this any time of the year.

Jump to:

• 📝 Ingredients
• 🥄 Instructions
• 👍 Amira's Tips
• 🧺 Storage
• 🍽️ Serve With
• 👩‍🍳 Variations
• 📣 Related Recipes
• Slow Cooker Comfort Food
• 🥣 Equipment
• Stuffed Onions in Slow Cooker

I haven't had stuffed onions - or mahshi basal in Arabic before, I am used to other kinds of mahshi like peppers, tomatoes, stuffed grape leaves, cabbage and zucchini. So I was amazed to see this delicious dish at a friend's home.

📝 Ingredients

Note: This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

• Big onions to be stuffed and regular onions to chop.
• Rice.
• Fresh herbs ( parsley, cilantro, dill ..etc)
• Ground beef
• Spices ( salt, black peppers, cumin, 7-spice blend, dry mint)

🥄 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.

1. Peel the onions, wash, and cut a wedge in each of them, this helps soften the layers.
2. Fill a large pot with water - enough to immerse the onions- over medium-high heat and add the cardamom pods and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil then add the onions to the pot, reduce heat to medium-high, and let it cook for 15 minutes or until the layers are easily separated.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat saute onions until translucent. Add rice tomato paste and the spices then stir everything well.
4. Mix in fresh chopped parsley and the rest of the herbs, then turn off the heat. Let it cool down for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, add the ground meat and mix well.
5. Take the onions out of the water and let it cool down until you can handle it with your hands. Separate the layers carefully.
6. Place 2-3 tablespoons- maybe more according to the size of the onion layer- and roll.

1. Arrange stuffed onions in the slow cooker.
2. Combine the cooking liquids together in a small bowl and season, pour the liquids over. Cook on low for 6 hours.

👍 Amira's Tips

• Try as much as possible to find extra large onions for this recipe.
• Place some of the herbs on the bottom of your slow cooker to avoid scorching the onions.
• I do not recommend cooking this dish on high, if you need this faster you can use cooked rice and use browned ground beef. This will reduce the cooking time by half.
• Use fresh herbs, do not use ground or dried ones, it will not give you the same result.

🧺 Storage

• Refrigerate lofetovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

🍽️ Serve With

While these onions are a complete meal you may want to add some Mediterranean roasted vegetables or these air fryer broccoli on the side.

👩‍🍳 Variations

• I've had it stuffed with rice like what we ,Egyptians, like to make our mahshi, some people add a little bit of ground meat along with the rice. For this recipe, I made the stuffing with more meat than rice so as to make it a whole balanced meal and lean more towards more protein than starch, but if you like more rice or even make it meatless, be my guest.
• You can make it with brown rice, quinoa … whatever you want, do not be afraid to experiment and see what will you like more.

📣 Related Recipes

• Mahshi is the Arabic word for anything stuffed and this mahshi recipe got them all. Delicious vegetables stuffed with fragrant aromatic rice mixture and cooked in tomato sauce.
• Mujadara is a traditional Middle Eastern vegan dish very popular in the Levant area. The combination of rice, lentils and caramelized onion is nothing short of heaven. So flavorful and comforting.
• There's nothing more comforting than a warm, richly flavored Middle Eastern rice with chicken. This recipe includes aromatic spices, vegetables and tender fall of the bone chicken.
• These stuffed grape leaves are delicious and easy to prepare. They're perfect for parties or as an appetizer.

Slow Cooker Comfort Food

• Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese is the right answer when spicy comfort food craving hits.

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🥣 Equipment

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• Slow Cooker.

First published Sep 24, 2016 . Last updated Aug 15, 2023 with important tips, clear step by step instructions and readability.