Cucumbers with rice – minced meat filling

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 100 g rice (long grain rice)
• Salt
• 200 g carrot(s)
• 4 braised cucumbers (approx. 300 g each)
• 2 onions
• 300 g minced meat, mixed
• pepper
• Paprika powder, sweet
• ½ liter vegetable broth (instant)
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 1 tsp oil
• 200 g tomatoes, pureed
• 1 tbsp sauce thickener, light
• 75 g cheese, grated Gouda

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Cook rice in salted water according to package instructions, drain. Finely dice carrots. Boil in salted water for about 5 minutes, drain. Peel cucumbers, halve, and remove seeds with a spoon. Dice onions. Mix minced meat, rice, and half of the onions and carrots. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Stuff cucumbers. Place cucumbers in 2 casserole dishes. Pour 1/4 liter of broth over each. Cook in a preheated oven (electric oven: 200°C/fan: 175°C) for 15-20 minutes. Finely chop the thyme, reserving a little for garnish. Heat oil in a saucepan. Sauté the remaining onions until translucent. Pour broth from the dishes into the pan. Add tomatoes, season with thyme, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Thicken with a sauce thickener. Sprinkle cheese over the cucumber halves and bake in the oven at the same temperature. Serve cucumbers with the tomato sauce.