First, you want to boil your onions so they get soft for you to fill. You want to peel and score your onion halfway from top to bottom. Bring to a boil and then let them cook until they begin to open up. Save two cups of the water.

Parboil your rice: bring a small pot of water to a boil and place your rice inside. Boil for five minutes. then strain the rice and wash with cool water to stop the cooking process.

Begin to remove the insides from your vegetables. Using a melon baller or corer, remove the inside of your eggplant and zucchini. For your tomato, remove the top and use a melon baller to remove the inside. You want to save the flesh of your tomato for your sauce. Remove your onion peels one by one and set aside.

Make your meat filling by placing all the ingredients into a bowl and mixing it all up.

Begin to fill in all of your vegetables. For your grape leaves, you’ll want to wash the leaves and gently squeeze out the water. Open each leaf and fill it in. Fold in the bottom half and then the right side followed by the left side. Roll it up and finish all the rest.

Using a large, low oven-safe stock pot, place your oil and sliced potatoes. Place all your stuffed vegetables on top.

Combine all your ingredients for your sauce in a bowl. You may want to blend the tomato flesh slightly. Pour your sauce directly over your vegetables. Bring to a boil and lower to simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes and then you can place it in the oven for another 45 minutes. This process will engage the flavor of this dish. Serve hot and enjoy.