Stuffed Bell Peppers With Rice And Ground Meat

Stuffed bell peppers with a hearty, slightly smoky filling of ground meat and rice, with tomato sauce, pine nuts, herbs, and spices.

📝 Ingredients

• 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
• 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 1/2 tablespoons) Arborio rice or Greek Karolina rice
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 375 ml (1 1/2 cup) hot water or stock
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts (ideally toasted)
• 1 1/4 cups fresh tomato pulp ((ripe tomatoes, grated on the large scale of a box grater, skins discarded))
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Prepare the peppers. Slice off the top and clean the insides.
2. 2Heat a splash of olive oil in a saute pan.
3. 3Saute the onion until soft, then add the garlic. Cook for a minute.
4. 4Add the ground meat. Season with salt and pepper. Break the meat apart with a wooden spoon and cook it until it starts to brown.
5. 5Stir in the rice and tomato paste. Drop the heat to low. Cook for a minute.
6. 6Pour in the hot water or stock. Cook over low heat, uncovered, until the water has completely drained.
7. 7Add the paprika, cumin, oregano, pine nuts, parsley, and grated tomato pulp. Stir to combine. Taste to see if the filling needs any additional seasoning.
8. 8Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
9. 9Stuff the peppers with the filling and close them with their lids.
10. 10Place them in a baking dish or pan (I used a 9 x 13-inch pan / 23 x 33 cm).
11. 11Add the potato wedges all around the peppers.
12. 12Stir the 1 tablespoon of tomato paste into 1½ cups of hot water. Pour this into the pan.
13. 13Drizzle with the 6 tablespoons of olive oil.
14. 14Season the potatoes and the peppers with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
15. 15Cover the pan with parchment paper and with aluminum foil. Or with its lid if it has one.
16. 16Bake 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.
17. 17Let the food sit for 30 minutes before serving.
18. 18Serve the peppers alongside the potatoes with a large piece of feta cheese if you like!