Mince Meat Stuffed peppers is a classic recipe and many people’s favourite.The delicious peppers are full of tasty meat and some rice. They are the perfect dish to combine meat with tasty vegetables.
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Recipe description
This is an easy to make main course: you just need to prepare the stuffing on a pan, to clean the peppers, to stuff them and bake them. All takes about an hour and so but you will be busy about 1/3 of this time, the rest is baking.
Where do I know this recipe from
This is a classic recipe in Bulgaria. I personally know it from my mother but every family cooks it. There are, of course, some variations but generally the recipe is quite similar - simple and tasty.
What ingredients you need
You need few common ingredients: sweet peppers, tomatoes, minced meat, onion, rice and spices. Here are few tips how to choose them:
- The minced meat is best if it is a mix of pork and beef but you can also choose one or another.
- Use bell peppers or other kind of sweet red or green peppers. I honestly prefer the green ones as they are not as sweet as the red, but you can choose what you like.
- The commonly used spices for this dish are salt, pepper, paprika and parsley.
If you want to make the sauce, you would also need yogurt, eggs and flour.
🥣 Recipe tips
- I personally don’t like very much meals with sauces and my mom never added any sauce to her stuffed peppers. I will still list the sauce recipe as optional below as some people really love it. Another option is to serve it just with cold yogurt: the texture and temperature contrast is quite nice.
- The original recipe is with fresh tomatoes but you can use also canned. You need very little, like 2/3 cup or 150 ml because this dish does not need a predominant tomato taste and the stuffing doesn’t have to be red
- Make sure you cook the rice well on the pan and add enough water. It should be half cooked before placing the stuffed peppers in the oven. If there is not enough water for the rice, it will not get cooked and some of it might stay crispy.
Overall this recipe is quite easy to make. This is the perfect comfort food which you can make at home with simple ingredients and not too much efforts.
If you want to make a similar meal but vegan, check out my incredibly delicious Potato Stuffed Peppers recipe!
And how about Cheese Stuffed Potatoes!
I would be very happy if you share this recipe in social media! If you made it, please tag @tacoandtiramisu on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Mince Meat Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
For the peppers:
- 17,6 oz/ 500 g minced meat
- about 10 bell peppers see notes
- 2 tomatoes very ripe, grated (see notes)
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup/ 100 g rice
- 3 tbsp olive oil or other vegetable oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- parsley to taste finely chopped
For the sauce (optional):
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup/ 200 ml plain yogurt
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Peppers:
- In a frying pan heat the olive oil and cook the onion until translucent. Add the rice and cook it until transparent as well. Add the tomatoes and 1/2 cup of water. Cook, until the water evaporates and the rice is softer. Add the meat and mix very well. Cook until it is all browned. Ad paprika, salt and pepper and mix. Remove from heat and add the chopped parsley.
- Cut the top of the peppers and clean them inside. Stuff them with the cooked minced meat. Arrange the stuffed peppers in a baking tin. Add about 1 cup water so that it covers the bottom of the tin. Bake for about 1 hour or until the peppers become brown and the peel comes out easily.
- Serve them hot. Optionally pour the sauce on top.
Sauce:
- Combine the yogurt and the flour and mix until smooth. Add the eggs and mix very well. Cook the sauce at a low heat, mixing all the time, until it thickens.
- Alternatively you can simply pour the mixture on top of the ready peppers in the pan and leave it in the oven for another 3-4 minutes. This will significantly reduce the preparation time.
Notes
- You can use any kind of large sweet peppers, no matter of the colour. The number of peppers depends on their size.
- Grate the tomatoes, removing the peel or first peel them and then chop them finely. Alternatively you can use 2/3 cup/ 150 ml canned tomatoes.
About the author
Food Blogger, Photographer and Cookbook Author. Founder of the sites Dani's Cookings and Taco & Tiramisu.
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