Middle Eastern Stuffed Onions

Trim the ends of the onions, peel them, and make a shallow slit lengthwise from top to bottom, not cutting all the way through.

Place the onions in a large pot of boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the layers have softened and are easy to separate.

While the onions boil, prepare the filling. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, rinsed rice, diced tomatoes, diced onion, chopped parsley, 2 tbsp of tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Once the onions are cool enough to handle, carefully separate the layers one by one.

Stuff each onion layer with the filling mixture and gently roll to seal.

Arrange the stuffed onions snugly in a single layer in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 tbsp of tomato paste and 2 cups of water to create the sauce. Pour this mixture evenly over the stuffed onions in the pan.

Cover the pan first with a piece of parchment paper, then tightly with aluminum foil or a lid.

Bring to a gentle simmer on the stovetop, then reduce the heat to low. Cook for 1 to 1.5 hours, until the rice is fully cooked and the sauce has thickened.

Serve hot, optionally over a bed of Greek yogurt or labneh.