Turkish · Lunch · Dinner
Turkish Stuffed Zucchini
Kabak dolması
Tender hollowed zucchini packed with a herby filling of lean beef, rice and fresh tomato, gently simmered in a light tomato broth until silky. A comforting Turkish home-style classic made with just a spoonful of olive oil.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 80 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 46% · Fat 25% · Protein 29%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 8 medium1,200 gZucchini (medium, light green Turkish type if available)
- 300 gExtra-lean ground beef (95% lean)
- 1/2 cup100 gShort-grain white rice
- 1 medium110 gOnion
- 2 medium240 gRipe tomatoes
- 1 tbsp16 gTomato paste
- 1/2 cup30 gFresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp8 gFresh dill, chopped
- 1 tspDried mint
- 1 tbsp14 gOlive oil
- 1 tsp6 gSalt
- 1/2 tspBlack pepper, ground
- 1/2 tspRed pepper flakes (pul biber) (optional)
- 2 cups480 gWater
- 1 tbsp15 gLemon juice, to serve (optional)
Steps
- 1
Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear, then leave it to drain.
- 2
Wash the zucchini, trim off the stem ends and cut each one in half crosswise.
- 3
Hollow out each piece with a corer or small spoon, leaving a wall about 5 mm thick and keeping one end closed; reserve the scooped flesh.
- 4
Finely chop the reserved zucchini flesh.
- 5
Grate the onion and the tomatoes, keeping them in separate bowls.
- 6
In a large bowl, combine the beef, drained rice, half the grated onion, half the grated tomato, the parsley, dill, dried mint, half the salt, the black pepper and the pepper flakes if using; mix well.
- 7
Fill each zucchini about three-quarters full, without packing tightly, so the rice has room to swell.
- 8
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat and soften the remaining onion for 3 minutes.
- 9
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- 10
Add the chopped zucchini flesh, the remaining grated tomato, the water and the remaining salt, and bring to a simmer.
- 11
Stand the stuffed zucchini upright in the pot, open side up, snugly side by side.
- 12
Place a heatproof plate on top to hold them in place, cover the pot and simmer gently for 40–45 minutes, until the zucchini are tender, the rice is cooked and the filling reaches 71 °C / 160 °F.
- 13
Turn off the heat and let the dolma rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
- 14
Serve with the tomato broth spooned over and a squeeze of lemon juice if you like.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a vegetarian version, replace the beef with an extra 1/4 cup rice plus a can of drained, rinsed chickpeas or cooked green lentils.
- Use ground turkey or lean ground lamb instead of the beef if that is easier to find; with turkey, simmer until the filling reaches 74 °C / 165 °F.
- If you have no fresh dill, use 1 teaspoon dried dill or simply add a little more parsley.
- Swap half the zucchini for small hollowed eggplants or bell peppers for a mixed dolma platter.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in their broth in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot all the way through. Freezing is not recommended, as the zucchini turns watery and mushy when thawed.
Make ahead
You can hollow the zucchini and mix the filling up to 1 day ahead, keeping them covered separately in the fridge, then stuff and cook when ready.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
No major allergens in the ingredients.
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (627 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 304 kcal | 48 kcal |
| Protein | 22.7 g | 3.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 35.7 g | 5.7 g |
| of which sugars | 10.8 g | 1.7 g |
| Fiber | 5.5 g | 0.9 g |
| Fat | 8.6 g | 1.4 g |
| of which saturated | 2.5 g | 0.4 g |
| Sodium | 673 mg | 107 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
