Sheikh Mahshi (Meat-Stuffed Vegetables)
Tender veggies stuffed with a spicy ground beef filling and cooked in a tangy tomato sauce. Sheikh mahshi is usually served over rice.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time45 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Assyrian, Middle Eastern
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 643kcal
Filling
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup Italian parsley (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon curry powder (hot or mild)
- 1 teaspoon allspice (or Arabic 7 spice)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Vegetables
- 3 medium potatoes
- 3 small eggplant (or 2 medium)
- 3 medium bell peppers
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
Sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 3 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon citric acid
Filling
Brown ground beef and diced onion for approximately 5 minutes over medium heat. Once browned, add minced garlic, chopped parsley, and filling seasoning. Cook for a few more minutes, then set aside to cool.
Prep Vegetables
Remove stems from eggplant and slice in half length-wise (unless using small eggplant). Slice ½" section from the flat end of each eggplant section, which you will use to cover the filling. Core eggplant using a coring tool, or a small knife.
Slice the peppers around the stems (save stems to use as caps). Remove seeds from the inside of the peppers.
Next, slice a thin section off of each potato and scoop out the flesh, creating a space for the filling.
Add a few tablespoons of oil to a skillet and fry the vegetables and on all sides. The potatoes should be slightly browned and the eggplant and peppers are softened.
Prepare the Sauce
Add water, tomato paste, salt, and citric acid to a saucepan and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil then remove from heat.
Serving Suggestions
Add rice to each plate then top with a few stuffed vegetables and drizzle sauce. A side of pickled vegetables (torshi) and fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley), scallions, and radishes can also be served on the side.
- You can mix the eggplant flesh with the filling or fry it with the carved potato flesh and either stuff it in a pita pocket or mix it into rice.
- Don't toss the potato flesh, you can either add it on top of the vegetables before adding the sauce to the pot, or fry it along with the eggplant flesh and serve over rice.
- You can skip frying the vegetables before stuffing them, but you may need to extend the cooking time.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- For a lower carb option, you can serve this sheikh mahshi recipe without rice or with cauliflower rice instead.
- Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 643kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 1324mg | Potassium: 2545mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 5046IU | Vitamin C: 185mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 7mg