Qarabagħli Mimli fil-Forn – Maltese Baked Stuffed Marrows

Comfort food at its best! These baked stuffed marrows (Qarabagħli Mimli fil-Forn) are the epitome of Maltese cuisine. The round marrows are stuffed with minced meat and traditionally served with potatoes.

In Malta, we love stuffing our vegetables! We make raw stuffed vegetables, baked stuffed vegetables and broth cooked stuffed vegetables. These stuffed marrows (qarabagħli mimli) baked in the oven are one of the ultimate favourites. Baked in the oven until tender and golden brown, these round marrows are traditionally hollowed and filled with a minced meat mixture.

What type of marrows to use

Marrows is another version of the zucchini/courgette family, in short it’s just another way to call this vegetable. In Malta you can find marrows in abundance, and normally they are quite inexpensive. Even though, in recent years you can find a various selection of marrows/zucchini, the most common variety you can find on the islands are the round light coloured ones. However, for this recipe you can truly use any variety you can find. Although, if using the long narrow ones, you would need to slice vertically halfway through the vegetable and fill them like boats. Check out my brunġiel mimli (stuffed aubergines) here, to see how you can prepare the long courgettes.

How to make the Qarabagħli Mimli

Start by preparing the marrows. After washing them, cut the top part and set aside. Gently with a spoon, or corer, remove the internal flesh. Make sure that you do not pierce through the sides and bottom of the marrow. Do not throw away the inside of the marrow, as that will be used also in the stuffing. In a bowl with the marrow filling, mix together the minced meat, cumin, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, chopped onion, tomato paste and beaten egg. In my family we also add some chopped hard boiled egg in the mixture. I prefer not to cook the filling before stuffing my marrows, however, if you prefer you can cook this mixture for a few minutes before stuffing.

Stuff the marrows with the prepared mixture and cover the parmesan cheese. You can either leave them uncovered or top with the marrow top part. Place the marrows in a large baking dish (glass or enamel are preferred). As traditionally stuffed marrows are cooked in the same dish with ‘patata l-forn’, Maltese style baked potatoes, add sliced onions and potatoes to the dish. Fill the dish with water, making sure that most of the potatoes are under the water. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and a generous helping of fennel seeds. Cover the dish with foil and bake for an hour at 180°C/350°F, uncover the dish and let cook for further 30 minutes, until the potatoes are nicely golden brown.

FAQs

Should the filling be cooked before stuffing the marrows?

No, technically as the stuffed marrows will be cooked in the oven for a good amount of time, there is no real need to cook the meat before stuffing. This is the way I do it, as it saves me time and I find that cooking the mixture in advance doesn’t really add anything to the recipe. However, it is very common in Malta that the filling is cooked in advance prior to filling the marrows, in fact even my mother does so! Therefore, this is truly a preference based on your liking. Although, I do not cook the filling for the marrows, I tend to cook the meat sauce before. This sauce will be used to fill my aubergines.

How to serve these stuffed marrows?

It’s a staple to cook and serve stuffed marrows with Maltese style potatoes (patata l-forn). Patata l-forn are sliced potatoes, cooked in the same dish, in a layer of water, oil and fennel seeds. If you want to keep it lighter, you can serve these stuffed marrows with boiled vegetables or a fresh salad.

How to store leftovers?

Store any leftover stuffed marrows in an airtight container in the fridge for not more than 3 days. It’s important not to store the marrows in the cooking liquid, as that might make the vegetables all soggy. When ready to eat, simply heat the stuffed marrows in the microwave or re-heat in the oven covered until they are heated all the way through.

Other stuffed vegetables recipes!

Qarabagħli Mimli fil-Forn – Maltese Baked Stuffed Marrows

Comfort food at its best! These baked stuffed marrows (Qarabagħli Mimli fil-Forn) are the epitome of Maltese cuisine. The round marrows are stuffed with minced meat and traditionally served with potatoes.

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Prep Time:15 minutes mins

Cook Time:1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time:1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Maltese, Mediterranean

Keyword: courgette, Zucchini

Servings: 6 Stuffed Marrows

Ingredients

Stuffed Marrows

• 6 large round marrows
• 500 g minced meat mixed pork and beef
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 egg + (optional 2 extra boiled eggs)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp parmesan cheese

Patata l-Forn (Maltese style baked potatoes)

• 5 large potatoes thinly sliced
• 1 large onion thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• fennel seeds
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F.
• With a knife, cut the top part of the marrow and set aside. With a spoon, hollow the centre of the marrow, making sure to not pierce through the sides and bottom.
• Strain the removed marrow flesh, making sure to remove most of its water. Set aside both the filling and the hollowed marrows.
• In a large bowl, mix together the minced meat, cumin, oregano, worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, chopped onion, tomato paste, beaten egg and some of the removed marrow filling chopped finely. You can also add some chopped hard boiled egg in the mixture.
• Fill the marrows with the filling and cover the parmesan cheese. You can either leave them uncovered or top with the marrow top part.
• Place the marrows in a large baking dish (glass or enamel are preferred). Around the marrows add the sliced onion and potatoes.
• Fill the bottom of the dish with water, making sure that most of the potatoes are under the water. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and a generous helping of fennel seeds.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake for an hour at 180°C/350°F.
• Uncover the dish and let cook for further 30 minutes, until the potatoes are nicely golden brown.
• Take them out from the oven and let them rest slightly before serving.

If you have any questions, feedback or comments on this recipe, please leave a comment below. Please also rate this recipe by double clicking on the stars below. If you did make this recipe, tag @apronandwhisk and hashtag #apronandwhisk, as I’m curious to see what you create!

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