These stuffed onions with ground beef are a cozy, flavor-packed dish that will surprise you with its simplicity. This recipe is based on my mom’s Iraqi sheikh mahshi, which features onions stuffed with seasoned ground beef and simmered in a rich tomato broth. As the onions cook, they soften and sweeten, soaking up the sauce and creating the most magical flavour. Traditionally, they are served over rice. You’ll need my tips and tricks for how to separate the onion layers, but everything else is straight forward!

White handled pot with stuffed onions in a tomato broth and chopped parsley on top and a wooden handled serving spoon, a white plate of rice and stuffed onions on top on a blue and white tiled background with a bowl of chopped parsley at the side.

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How I’ve Simplified My Mom’s Classic Recipe

There’s a traditional Iraqi dish my mom makes by stuffing eggplant, zucchini, and onions, which is called sheikh mahshi. The eggplant and zucchini tend to be time consuming, because they require coring. The onions were always the quickest to stuff, and personally, my favourite.

Which is how this stuffed onions dish was born. Once you get the hang of separating the layers, it’s easier than it sounds. Luckily, I’ve been separating onions and stuffing them for about 20 years, so I’ve got all the tricks to do it quickly.

I’ve been making this version of stuffed onions for years, but during my most recent test of the recipe, I really craved that eggplant flavour that comes with the traditional version. So I ended up finely chopping eggplant and mixing it into the beef stuffing, and it made the flavour mind blowing.

Now take note – stuffed onions have gone viral online (I think I am to blame, from this video), and most of those recipes use a rice filling, similar to my mom’s dolma filling. These ones are just beef, and they are meant to be saucy and served over rice.

Ingredients and Notes on Substitutions

Bowls filled with labeled ingredients on a blue tile surface: diced eggplant, whole onions, pomegranate molasses, chopped onions, tomato sauce, ground beef, and assorted spices.

To make the onion de-layering process slightly easier, try to find onions that are narrow rather than round. You’ll need at least 5-6 medium yellow onions.

As for the ground beef, a fattier one will add more flavour, but you’ll also succeed with lean beef. Along with the beef, I love adding in chopped eggplant for extra depth, but this recipe is forgiving in that you can skip them if you like.

Finally – don’t be scared of the large amount of cinnamon that goes into the filling. It won’t taste like apple pie, I promise. And a touch of pomegranate molasses in the sauce will make all the difference.

The Step by Step Process for Success

I’m going to walk you through how to separate the onion layers in detail, because it’s important not to miss some of these crucial steps for an easier experience.

However, the filling is cooked as usual with the finely chopped onions, the spices, and the chopped eggplant. There’s more details on this in the recipe card.

Onion Layer Separation

This process will take roughly 10 to 15 minutes, but you need to allow 10 minutes for the onions to cool as well.

Onion being held and the top being cut off with knife over a white bowl on a marble background.
Start by making a shallow cut to get rid of the root. Do the same on the other side.
Onion being held and the bottom being cut off with knife over a white bowl on a marble background.
Use a small pairing knife to dig into the root about 1/4 of an inch and carve it out slightly. This will help dislodge all the layers.
Onion being peeled over a white bowl with a knife with a black handle at the side on a marble background.
Peel the onion skin, including any dry layers.
Peeled onion being held with another hand cutting it in half over a white bowl with peels over a marble background.
Make a cut across the length of the onion, all the way to the middle of the core. Do not cut through to the other side.

At this point, you need to place all the onions in a bowl, add a 1/2 cup water, cover with paper towel and microwave for 3-5 minutes. Alternatively, you can also boil them for 5-10 minutes. This step softens the skin so it is easy to pry apart without breaking.

Peeled and slit onion being held by two hands, with one hand holding a layer of the onion over a blue speckled bowl on a marble background.
Once the onions have cooled down, gently pry the layers apart. The easiest way is to use your finger to dislodge the layers from the inside.
Layers of onion in a blue speckled bowl on a marble background.
Separate all the layers to prepare them for stuffing.
Layer of onion being held by a hand with a cooked ground beef mixture inside it over a pan with cooked ground beef and a spoon on a marble background.
Stuff the onions with about 2 tablespoons of the filling.
A stuffed onion peel being held by two hands over a pan of cooked ground beef with a spoon in it on a marble background.
Roll the onion over and ensure you don’t overstuff to allow for about a 1/4 inch of onion overlap.
Stuffed onion layers in a white pot on a marble background.
Place all of the stuffed onions on a pot, ensuring they have a snug fit to help the seams stay intact.
Tomato broth being poured from a glass measuring cup over a white pot of stuffed onions with a plate over turned on top.
Place a plate on top and pour the sauce. The plate ensures they stay closed as they cook.

Then they’re ready to be baked, or you can cook them on the stovetop. It’ll take about an hour, and you’ll know they’re ready when the onion skin is soft enough to cut through with a fork, and the sauce has thickened.

White handled pot with stuffed onions in a tomato broth and chopped parsley on top on a blue and white tiled background with a bowl of chopped parsley at the side.

Serve the stuffed onions over rice along with lots of the sauce.

A white plate with white rice and 3 stuffed onions with one cut open and a fork at the side on a blue and white tiled background, a small plate of parsley, a beige tea towel and white pot at the side.

If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!

White handled pot with stuffed onions in a tomato broth and chopped parsley on top on a blue and white tiled background with a bowl of chopped parsley at the side.
4.75 from 4 ratings

Stuffed Onions with Ground Beef

Yield: 4 Servings
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
These stuffed onions with ground beef are a cozy, flavor-packed dish that will surprise you with its simplicity. This recipe is based on my mom's Iraqi sheikh mahshi, which features onions stuffed with seasoned ground beef and simmered in a rich tomato broth. As the onions cook, they soften and sweeten, soaking up the sauce and creating the most magical flavour.
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Ingredients
 

For the Filling:

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, finely diced
  • 454 g medium ground beef, or lean
  • 1 globe eggplant, large
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Onions and Sauce:

  • 5 yellow onions, medium in size
  • 400 ml tomato sauce, 1 can
  • 500 ml water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

Instructions
 

For the Stuffing:

  • In a large skillet on medium heat, heat the 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Add the diced1 yellow onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until translucent. 
  • While the onions cook, finely diced the 1 globe eggplant. You don't need to peel it.
  • Add the 454 g medium ground beef to the onions and cook for 7 to 10 minutes until it browns and the moisture dries up. Add the diced eggplant and the 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons ground allspice, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes until the eggplant is soft. Taste and adjust for salt. Set aside to cool down.

For the Onions:

  • Preheat the oven to 450F.
  • To separate the layers, start by creating 2 shallow cuts to take off the top and bottom of the onion. Ensure that you dig into the root side with your knife to help dislodge the layers. There are visual steps in the blog post. Create one deep cut running along the length of the onion from one side, all the way to the centre. Repeat with all the onions.
  • Place all of the prepared onions in a microwave safe bowl and add 1/4 cup water to the bottom. Microwave on high for about 6 minutes, using 2 minute intervals until you feel they softened slightly, which will help to separate the layers. Remove and allow to cool down. Check the notes for boiling instructions as well.
  • Once the onions have cooled down, gently pry the layers apart. The easiest way is to use your finger to dislodge the layers from the inside. Do this gently and the layers will easily come apart.
  • Once all onion layers are ready, stuff them about 3/4 full and fold them closed, and arrange them seam side down in a dutch oven or an oven safe dish. You will need one that is at least 4 to 5 litres. Ensure that all onions are tightly packed together to avoid them opening when they cook. 
  • Add a small plate that fits inside your pot or oven dish over the onions, which will help keep them in place as the sauce bubbles.
  • Mix the 400 ml tomato sauce, 500 ml water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses together and pour into the oven dish. 
  • Bake in the oven at 450F for about 1 hour covered, then bake for a further 10 minutes uncovered to reduce the sauce slightly. Its ready when the onion skin is easily cut with fork. Check the notes for stove top directions.

Notes

  • You can make the stuffing without the chopped eggplant, if you don’t like it. But it does add a lot of flavour, and you don’t actually see it in the final dish.
  • Instead of microwaving the onions to soften them, you can also drop them in a pot of boiling water for about 5 to 7 minutes until they soften.
  • Instead of baking, you can cook the onions on the stove top. You’ll need to place it on medium heat and cook it for 1 to 1 and a half hours, covered for most of the time. Ensure you do not use high heat as it will burn the bottom.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 484kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 80mg, Sodium: 2327mg, Potassium: 1138mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 488IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 102mg, Iron: 4mg
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