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Egyptian

Egyptian mahshi (stuffed vegetables)

Vegetarian

محشي · mahshi

Courgettes and peppers filled with a herby tomato rice and simmered in a light tomato broth until tender. A much-loved Egyptian family dish, made here without meat.

Egyptian mahshi (stuffed vegetables) is an Egyptian main course, ready in about 1 hour 40 minutes and made with zucchini, red bell pepper and short-grain rice. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Close-up of stuffed peppers and cabbage leaves cooking in a pot. A vibrant and appetizing display.
Photo: Avraami Barri / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
40 min
Cook
50 min
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 40 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
417

Ingredients

4 servings

For the filling

For cooking

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Trim the courgettes (opens in a new tab) and carefully hollow them out with an apple corer or small spoon, leaving 5 mm walls. Cut the tops off the peppers (opens in a new tab) and remove the seeds; keep the tops as lids.

    • 15 min

  2. Step 2

    Mix the rice with the grated tomato (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), herbs, 1 tbsp tomato paste (opens in a new tab), oil, cumin (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab).

    • 8 min

  3. Step 3

    Fill the vegetables only about three-quarters full — the rice swells — and cap the peppers (opens in a new tab) with their tops.

    • 10 min

    Overfilled vegetables split and the rice stays hard in the middle.

  4. Step 4

    Pack the vegetables upright and snugly in a wide pot. Whisk the remaining tomato paste (opens in a new tab) into the stock and pour over to come about two-thirds of the way up.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Cover, bring to the boil, then simmer gently until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add a splash of hot water if it dries out.

    • 50 min
    • low heat

  6. Step 6

    Rest, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.

    About this dish

    Origin
    Egypt · Commonly attributedStuffed vegetables are made all over the Middle East, Turkey and the Balkans; this herb-and-tomato rice filling is typical of Egypt.More food from Egypt
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Simmered, Stewed
    Taste
    herby, savoury, tangy
    Diet
    Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
    All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead · Uses leftovers
    Cook more with
    Zucchini · Red bell pepper · Short-grain rice · Tomato · Onion · Garlic
    Techniques
    Boiling · Simmering · Stewing

    Allergens

    • May contain: Glutenfrom vegetable stock
    • May contain: Celeryfrom vegetable stock

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    417 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 624 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 9%
    • Carbohydrate 66%
    • Fat 25%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy417 kcal67 kcal
    Protein9.5 g1.5 g
    Carbohydrate70.7 g11.3 g
    Net carbohydrate——
    Sugars——
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre——
    Fat11.9 g1.9 g
    Saturated fat1.2 g0.2 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
    Sodium1062 mg170 mg
    Salt equivalent2.7 g0.4 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    1136 mg
    Calcium
    87 mg
    Iron
    3.3 mg
    Magnesium
    84 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    —
    Vitamin C
    174 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    124 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Chop the scooped-out courgette flesh and add it to the filling or to a soup so nothing is wasted.

    Common mistakes

    • Packing the vegetables loosely in the pot — they topple and the filling spills; wedge them in snugly.

    Serve with

    • Serve with yogurt and a green salad.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate up to 3 days.

    Reheating

    • Reheat covered in a low oven or gently in the pot with a little water.

    Variations

    • With minced meat: Mix 250 g minced beef into the rice filling and cook with chicken or beef stock.
    • Mahshi waraq enab: The same filling rolled in vine leaves.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in step 1

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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