These stuffed bell peppers are a true comfort food in its homiest form! With a rich and flavorful, slightly smoky ground meat and rice filling, and mellow potato wedges baked alongside the peppers.
Table Of Contents
The stuffed peppers' filling is hearty and full of warm, nutty, herby, and spiced flavors. This dish is a complete meal in itself. With the potatoes getting baked together with the peppers, it saves you the effort of making a side dish to serve with the stuffed bell peppers.
Plus, the potatoes are so mellow and tender when cooked this way. Soaking in the rich flavors of olive oil and those that collect in the pan.
Ingredients
- Bell Peppers: You can use any colour you like. The red and green ones are more tasty. Red bell peppers are sweeter, while green bell peppers have a stronger, more pungent pepper flavor. The yellow and orange ones make a beautiful, colourful assortment.
- Potatoes: White and peeled potatoes such as Yukon Gold. You can also use baby potatoes with their skin on and cut them in half.
- Rice: a sticky rice variety to make a nice and thick, glazy filling. Such as Arborio rice. In Greece, we use Karolina rice. It might not be as easy to find it outside Greece, so Arborio rice is the best substitute.
- Ground Meat: I use a mix of half ground pork and half ground beef because I find it more flavorful. You can use just beef, or just pork if that's what you prefer.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomato Paste
- Fresh Tomato Pulp: To make fresh tomato pulp, slice the bottom of a ripe tomato, and grate it on the coarse scale of a box grater. This way, you can discard the skin and keep only the juicy inside to use in the filling.
- Smoked Paprika: Adds a deliciously smoky flavor that complements the dish's flavors perfectly. Think of smoked, roasted red peppers! If you prefer something different, you can swap for sweet paprika.
- Cumin Powder: Adds a warm spice flavor.
- Dried Oregano
- Pine Nuts: Toast them in a hot pan for an extra flavor boost. Be sure to toss and flip them every few seconds because they burn easily.
- Fresh Parsley: Or basil if you prefer.
How To Make
Made in the same fashion we make Yemista (Greek Stuffed Vegetables with Rice), the bell peppers are hollowed out, keeping their little "hats" intact to serve as lids.
After the peppers are stuffed with the filling and closed with their lids, they get baked alongside potato wedges. First, the stuffed peppers are baked covered. Once the rice and potatoes are cooked, the pan is uncovered to give the vegetables a final roast.
To make the filling, first you saute the onion and garlic, and then add the ground meat. Brown the meat to add more flavor, and then mix in the rice and tomato paste. Add water and cook for a few minutes to parboil the rice for the stuffing.
Let the water drain completely before mixing the remaining ingredients (tomato pulp, herbs, and spices) off the heat.
Make Ahead
You can hollow the peppers and have them prepared in the fridge a day ahead before stuffing them. You can also make the filling a day ahead.
Storing
These stuffed peppers with rice and ground meat will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days. You also freeze them in an airtight food container for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat either in the microwave or in the oven, covered.
Serve With
Serve stuffed bell peppers with a feta cheese side such as Saganaki (Fried Feta Cheese), Tirokafteri (Spicy Whipped Feta Dip), or a Spicy Baked Feta. A Greek Cabbage Salad is also a great pairing to this dish!
Recipe
Stuffed Bell Peppers With Rice And Ground Meat
Ingredients
For The Stuffed Peppers:
- 1500 grams (12 large) bell peppers
- 600 grams (1.3 pounds) potatoes skinned and cut into wedges
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper
For The Filling:
- olive oil
- 200 grams (1 large) onion minced
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 450 grams (1 pound) ground meat either ground beef or a mix of ground beef and pork
- 150 grams (10 ½ tablespoons) Arborio rice or Greek Karolina rice
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 375 ml (1½ cup) hot water or stock
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅓ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts ideally toasted
- 1¼ cups fresh tomato pulp (ripe tomatoes, grated on the large scale of a box grater, skins discarded)
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Prepare the peppers. Slice off the top and clean the insides.
- Heat a splash of olive oil in a saute pan.
- Saute the onion until soft, then add the garlic. Cook for a minute.
- Add the ground meat. Season with salt and pepper. Break the meat apart with a wooden spoon and cook it until it starts to brown.
- Stir in the rice and tomato paste. Drop the heat to low. Cook for a minute.
- Pour in the hot water or stock. Cook over low heat, uncovered, until the water has completely drained.
- Add the paprika, cumin, oregano, pine nuts, parsley, and grated tomato pulp. Stir to combine. Taste to see if the filling needs any additional seasoning.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
- Stuff the peppers with the filling and close them with their lids.
- Place them in a baking dish or pan (I used a 9 x 13-inch pan / 23 x 33 cm).
- Add the potato wedges all around the peppers.
- Stir the 1 tablespoon of tomato paste into 1½ cups of hot water. Pour this into the pan.
- Drizzle with the 6 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Season the potatoes and the peppers with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
- Cover the pan with parchment paper and with aluminum foil. Or with its lid if it has one.
- Bake for 1 hour, then uncover the pan and bake for another 15 minutes. If necessary, add a splash of water when you uncover the pan.
- Let the food sit for 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve the peppers alongside the potatoes with a large piece of feta cheese if you like!
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