Stuffed Peppers

Name: Stuffed Peppers
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Cuisine: Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans
Ingredients: 4 large red or yellow bell peppers, tops cut off and saved, seeds removed; 3 tbsp olive oil, divided; 1 yellow onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 400 g (14 oz) ground beef or lamb, 15–20% fat; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp sweet paprika; ½ tsp ground cinnamon or allspice; 150 g (1 cup) cooked rice, about 60 g raw; see Perfect Rice; 400 ml (1⅔ cups) tomato sauce or passata, Tomato Sauce or store-bought; 15 g (½ cup) parsley, chopped; 5 g (3 tbsp) mint or dill, chopped; 7 g (1¼ tsp) fine sea salt, divided; black pepper; 150 ml (⅔ cup) water; 75 g (2½ oz) feta, optional, crumbled

Sweet peppers filled with spiced rice, beef and herbs, baked in tomato sauce

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 35 min
Total: 1 h 35 min
Level: Some skill

Peppers stuffed with rice and meat are cooked across Greece, Turkey and the Balkans. In this version, the peppers are roasted briefly first so they soften while the filling heats through, and they bake in a shallow tomato sauce that keeps everything moist.

Ingredients

4large red or yellow bell pepperstops cut off and saved, seeds removed
3 tbspolive oildivided
1yellow onionfinely chopped
2 clovesgarlicfinely chopped
400 gground beef or lamb (14 oz)15–20% fat
1 tspground cumin
1 tspsweet paprika
½ tspground cinnamon or allspice
150 gcooked rice (1 cup)about 60 g raw; see Perfect Rice
400 mltomato sauce or passata (1⅔ cups)Tomato Sauce or store-bought
15 gparsley (½ cup)chopped
5 gmint or dill (3 tbsp)chopped
7 gfine sea salt (1¼ tsp)divided
black pepper
150 mlwater (⅔ cup)
75 gfeta (2½ oz)optional, crumbled

Diet: Gluten-free
Allergens: milk
Origin: Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans
Season: Summer, Autumn

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Rub the peppers and their tops with 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt. Set upright in a baking dish that fits them snugly and roast 15 minutes, until slightly softened. 15 min
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft, 6–8 minutes, then add the garlic for 1 minute. 8 min
Add the meat and spices and cook, breaking it up, until no longer pink, 5 minutes. Take off the heat. 5 min
Stir in the rice, 150 ml of the tomato sauce, the herbs, 5 g salt and pepper. Taste: the filling should be well seasoned.
Pack the filling into the peppers. Mix the remaining tomato sauce with the water and pour around the peppers. Put the tops back on.
Cover the dish with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, remove the tops, scatter the feta over the filling and bake until the peppers are soft and slumped, the filling reads 71°C (160°F) at the center and the sauce is bubbling, 15–20 minutes more. 48 min
Rest 5 minutes, then serve with the sauce spooned over. 5 min

Why it works

Roasting the peppers first jump-starts their softening so they're tender by the time the filling is hot through; otherwise the outside burns before the inside cooks. Covering for the first half traps steam to cook the peppers gently, and uncovering browns the top. Cooked rice absorbs the meat juices and sauce, keeping the filling moist without bursting the peppers.

Common mistakes

Using raw rice: it needs more liquid and time than the peppers can handle, and often stays crunchy.
Under-seasoning the filling: taste before stuffing; it's harder to fix later.
Skipping the sauce: the peppers dry out and stick.