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Mary Berry Stuffed Marrow Recipe

Mary Berry Stuffed Marrow Recipe

Mary Berry’s stuffed marrow is filled with a rich, spiced beef and tomato mince, topped with melted cheese — a hearty, deeply flavourful dinner that uses the garden’s best.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Baking & Resting Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 6 Portions
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British
Calories: 390
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Stuffed Marrow:
  • 1 large marrow about 1.5–2kg, halved lengthways and seeded
  • 2 tbsp olive oil for brushing
  • Beef and Tomato Filling:
  • 500 g beef mince 15–20% fat
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 red pepper finely diced
  • 1 tsp each dried oregano ground cumin, sweet smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes optional
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • Salt and pepper
  • Large handful fresh parsley chopped
  • Topping:
  • 100 g mature Cheddar coarsely grated
  • 25 g Parmesan finely grated
  • Dried breadcrumbs optional

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5. Line a large roasting tin. Halve marrow lengthways — scoop out seeds and watery centre flesh. Brush cut surfaces and inside with oil — season. Place cut-side up in tin.
  2. Brown beef mince in hot oil 8–10 minutes — deeply golden. Remove. Cook onion 8 minutes. Add garlic, pepper, and spices — 3 minutes. Return mince. Add purée — 1 minute. Add tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar. Season assertively. Simmer 15–20 minutes until thick with very little liquid. Add parsley. Taste — season very assertively.
  3. Fill marrow halves generously — mound above the rim. Scatter Cheddar, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs if using.
  4. Cover tin tightly with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Remove foil — bake 15–20 minutes more until cheese is golden and marrow flesh is completely tender when pierced. Rest 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Notes

Brown the beef mince deeply — pale mince gives a flat, disappointing filling.
Make the filling very thick before stuffing — marrow releases water during baking.
Season the filling very assertively — the mild marrow flesh absorbs seasoning as they bake.
Cover with foil for the first 35 minutes — ensures the marrow cooks through evenly.
Freeze the filling for up to 3 months — stuff and bake fresh marrow when needed.
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