Greek Stuffed Onions (Salantourmasi)

These Greek Stuffed Onions, known as Salantourmasi are whole onions that are filled with a delicious, and flavorful rice mixture. The mix combines fresh herbs, with garlic, and other seasoning to really make flavorful little onion bombs that are the perfect dish. I grew up with dishes like Salantourmasi in my Greek household and I absolutely love them. They are such a comfort food to me so I hope you love them too!

❤️ Why You’ll Love Stuffed Onions

• Flavorful: This Greek Stuffed Onions recipe is so flavorful with the spices, fresh herbs, and the onions themselves. They are so delicious
• Impressive: Impress Greeks and others with this traditional dish that everyone will love
• Versatile: Stuff these onions with your choice of rice filling. Add in your favorite spices, herbs, or ground meat

🍲 Ingredients

Yellow Onions – Use yellow onions for this recipe for the best flavor profile. Ideally if you can find oval/long narrow shaped onions that’s even better. Onions are also really good for you and help build immunity.

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Tomato Sauce – For this Stuffed Onions recipe we’ve made a quick and simple homemade tomato sauce. If you prefer to skip this step, you can totally buy a store bought tomato sauce instead

👩‍🍳 How to Make Stuffed Onions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Set aside a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or two 9 inch baking dishes.
2. Soak rice in water while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. Prep and boil the onions: Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cut the top and bottom off the onions and remove their skins, removing the tough outer 1-2 laters. Use a small knife to cut a slit down the onion lengthwise, cutting through to only the middle of the onion. Once the water is boiling, add the onions and boil until they are softened and the layers remove easily, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. Blend the can of tomatoes in a blender and then mix all of the tomato sauce ingredients together and set aside.
5. Drain the rice and set aside.
6. Turn a large skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil to the pan along with diced onions and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened.
7. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Stir in the grated tomato, tomato paste, rice, lemon juice, parsley, mint, salt, pepper, chicken stock paste and dried oregano. Stir together to combine and bring to a simmer, let simmer for 8-10 minutes to parboil the rice and let the liquid absorb. Remove from the heat and set aside.
8. Pour a thin layer of the tomato sauce mixture on the bottom of the large baking dish (or if using two baking dishes pour a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of each dish).
9. Stuff the onions – use your fingers to take apart each layer of the boiled onions so you have single layers. Stuff each onion with about 2 tbsp of the filling, placing in the middle of the onion and gently roll up so that the edges of the onion overlap.
10. Add stuffed onions to the large baking dish (or whichever baking dish you’re using), making sure they fit tightly together.
11. Once all the stuffed onions are in the baking dish, pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the stuffed onions and cover with foil (if using two baking dishes divide the tomato sauce between the two dishes). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, baste the onion tops with the cooking liquids and bake uncovered for another 25-30 minutes, they should be very tender and slightly caramelized when finished.
12. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• The recipe yields about 24 onions and a serving is about 4 onions
• Serve these as a tasty side dish to your main course

🗒 Substitutions

• Ground Beef: You can use whatever your preferred ground meat is for the stuffing such as lamb or turkey
• Seasonings: Different Stuffed Onion recipes call for different spices in the rice mixture. Some people like to add warming spices like cumin, and cinnamon
• Tomato Sauce: Use jarred tomato sauce if you prefer

🗒 Best served with

• Fluffy Greek Pita Bread
• Chicken Souvlaki
• Lamb Chop Recipe

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. These are yummy even leftover and reheated.

🤔 Common Questions

Greek Stuffed Onions (Salantourmasi)

5 from 5 votes

This recipe for Greek Stuffed Onions is one of my favs because it is so comforting. I grew up eating Salantourmasi and I want to share this traditional (and delicious) recipe with you.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Servings 6

Calories 366 kcal

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Ingredients

  

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• 8 medium yellow onions (more oval in shape if possible)
• fresh parsley for garnish

Stuffing

• 3/4 cup short grain or arborio rice, soaked
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 tomato, grated
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 1/3 cup fresh chopped mint
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp chicken stock paste
• 1/2 tbsp dried oregano

Tomato sauce

• 398 ml can roma or whole tomatoes, blended
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

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Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 425F. Set aside a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or two 9 inch baking dishes.
• Soak rice in water while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Prep and boil the onions: Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cut the top and bottom off the onions and remove their skins, removing the tough outer 1-2 laters. Use a small knife to cut a slit down the onion lengthwise, cutting through to only the middle of the onion. Once the water is boiling, add the onions and boil until they are softened and the layers remove easily, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Blend the can of tomatoes in a blender and then mix all of the tomato sauce ingredients together and set aside.
• Drain the rice and set aside.
• Turn a large skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil to the pan along with diced onions and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened.
• Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Stir in the grated tomato, tomato paste, rice, lemon juice, parsley, mint, salt, pepper, chicken stock paste and dried oregano. Stir together to combine and bring to a simmer, let simmer for 8-10 minutes to parboil the rice and let the liquid absorb. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Pour a thin layer of the tomato sauce mixture on the bottom of the large baking dish (or if using two baking dishes pour a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of each dish).
• Stuff the onions – use your fingers to take apart each layer of the boiled onions so you have single layers. Stuff each onion with about 2 tbsp of the filling, placing in the middle of the onion and gently roll up so that the edges of the onion overlap.
• Add stuffed onions to the large baking dish (or whichever baking dish you're using), making sure they fit tightly together.
• Once all the stuffed onions are in the baking dish, pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the stuffed onions and cover with foil (if using two baking dishes divide the tomato sauce between the two dishes). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, baste the onion tops with the cooking liquids and bake uncovered for another 25-30 minutes, they should be very tender and slightly caramelized when finished.
• Garnish with fresh minced parsley and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Serve with our Fluffy Greek Pita Bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 44.3g | Protein: 21.8g | Fat: 12.2g | Saturated Fat: 2.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7.6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 45.1mg | Sodium: 1435.6mg | Fiber: 4.9g | Sugar: 11.8g

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