# Egyptian Mixed Stuffed Vegetables with Zucchini, Eggplant, and Bell Peppers

> The secret to mixed stuffed vegetables is that **the filling shouldn't fill more than 3 quarters** of each piece, because the raw rice doubles in size as it cooks, and excess filling splits the zucchini and pushes out cramped, uncooked rice from the inside. Also, **the broth should only reach 3 quarters of the height of the vegetables**, covered with an upside-down plate, so they steam without floating and becoming mushy.

**Egyptian Cuisine · 135 min · 6 servings · 585 kcal per serving**

Mixed stuffed vegetables are the ultimate Friday and gathering meal in an Egyptian home: zucchini, slender black eggplant, and small green bell peppers, stuffed with a rice mixture of tomatoes, parsley, dill, and coriander, and cooked in broth until absorbed. Here you'll find the measurements for 6 people, how to core without piercing the vegetable, and how to adjust the water so the rice cooks without getting mushy.

## Ingredients

- 1 kg — small, uniform zucchini, about 12 pieces
- 750 g — small slender eggplants, about 10 pieces
- 500 g — small green bell peppers, about 8 pieces
- 2.5 cup — Egyptian rice, washed and drained
- 2 — onions, finely chopped
- 4 — tomatoes, grated for the filling
- 1 cup — tomato juice, 3 blended and strained tomatoes for the broth
- 3 tbsp — tomato paste, 2 for the filling and 1 for the broth
- 1 cup — parsley, chopped
- 1 cup — dill, chopped
- 0.5 cup — fresh coriander, chopped
- 1 tbsp — dried mint
- 0.33 cup — oil
- 2 tbsp — baladi ghee
- 1 tbsp — salt, divided between the filling and the broth
- 1 tsp — black pepper
- 1 tsp — cumin
- 1 tsp — mixed spices
- 3 cup — hot chicken or beef broth
- 1 — tomato, sliced for the bottom of the pot

## Method

1. **Coring the Vegetables** — Cut the stems of the zucchini and eggplants, and core them with a corer, leaving a wall of about **3–4 mm**. Roll the eggplant on the counter while pressing on it before coring so it softens and the inside comes out easily. For the peppers, cut the top off, remove the seeds, and keep the tops. A very thin wall will split in the pot, and a thick one will stay raw inside.
2. **Sautéing the Base of the Mixture** — Heat the oil and sauté the onions for **5 minutes** until soft, then add **2 tablespoons of tomato paste** and the grated tomatoes and leave them for **5 minutes** until they thicken a bit. Sautéing removes the sharpness of the onion and gives the mixture the flavor of cooked sauce instead of raw tomatoes.
3. **Mixing the Rice and Herbs** — Turn off the heat and let the mixture rest for a couple of minutes, then add the **raw rice**, parsley, dill, coriander, mint, **2 teaspoons of salt**, pepper, cumin, and spices. Taste the filling sauce: it must be **a bit salty** compared to normal, because the rice and vegetables will absorb the salt as they cook.
4. **Filling Only 3 Quarters** — Stuff the zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers up to **3 quarters** of each piece, and tap it gently so the filling settles without packing it down with your finger. The rice doubles in size, and this empty space is what allows it to cook fluffy.
5. **Arranging in the Pot** — Layer the **tomato slices** in the bottom of a heavy **28 cm** pot so the stuffed vegetables don't stick and burn. Arrange the zucchini and eggplant **standing up with their openings facing up** and tightly packed against each other, and place the peppers on top, covering them with their tops. Tightly packing them prevents the grains from falling out and emptying their filling.
6. **The Broth** — Mix the hot broth with the tomato juice, **a tablespoon of tomato paste**, **a teaspoon of salt**, and the ghee, and pour it over the stuffed vegetables until it reaches **3 quarters of their height**. Invert a china plate on top to weigh it down. Excess broth makes the zucchini mushy and turns the rice gummy.
7. **Cooking on Low Heat** — Leave the pot on high heat until it boils for **5 minutes**, then lower the heat completely, cover it, and **leave it for 40–45 minutes**. Open at the end and taste a piece of zucchini from the center: if the rice is still hard, add **half a cup of hot broth** and continue for 10 minutes.
8. **Resting and Serving** — Turn off the heat and leave the stuffed vegetables covered for **10 minutes**, so the rice absorbs the last bit of steam and holds its shape so the pieces come out intact. Take them out with a large spoon, arrange them on a serving plate, and pour a couple of tablespoons of the sauce from the pot over them.

## Tips

- Choose small, evenly sized zucchini and eggplant — uniform pieces cook together, while large ones stay raw inside and small ones get mushy.
- Don't throw away the cores of the zucchini and eggplant: sauté them with an onion and two eggs and make an eggy dish for dinner.
- If you won't cook right away, cover the raw stuffed vegetables and keep them in the fridge for **at most 12 hours** — any longer and the tomatoes will soften the vegetables.
- Want it richer? Place **half a kilo of ribs or boiled meat pieces** at the bottom of the pot before the tomato slices, and use their broth as the cooking liquid.

## FAQ

### Why does the rice turn out raw inside the stuffed vegetables?
Either the broth was too little or dried up quickly because the heat was too high or the pot wasn't covered well, or the filling was packed tightly so the water couldn't reach it. The solution then: half a cup of hot broth and 10 more minutes on low heat. Next time, fill only 3 quarters, and cook on the lowest heat after boiling.

### Why does the zucchini split or get mushy in the pot?
Splitting is caused by overfilling or a very thin coring wall, and mushiness is caused by excess broth or long cooking on high heat. Leave a 3–4 mm wall, fill 3 quarters, and keep the broth up to only 3 quarters of the height of the stuffed vegetables.

### Can I add minced meat to the stuffed vegetable filling?
Yes: sauté a quarter kilo of minced meat with the onions until its color changes before adding the tomato sauce, and reduce the rice by half a cup so the filling doesn't overflow. Follow the rest of the steps as they are, and it's preferable to cook it with beef broth.

### Can I prepare the stuffed vegetables ahead of time or freeze them?
The easiest way is to core the vegetables, dry them, and freeze them empty in bags for up to two months, and make the filling fresh on the day of cooking. Cooked stuffed vegetables last for 3 days in the fridge; reheat them in a pot with a quarter cup of broth on low heat, not in the microwave, so they don't dry out.

---

Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/egyptian-cuisine/mixed-stuffed-vegetables-egyptian-recipe
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-10-27