These mushroom stuffed peppers are filled with rice, sautéed mushrooms, carrots, onions, and fresh herbs, then simmered in tomato sauce and finished with sour cream. A delicious Romanian-style vegetarian meal.
Stuffed peppers are very common in Romania, and I grew up eating them regularly, usually these Stuffed Peppers in Tomato Sauce. My grandmother also made a vegetarian version with rice and tomatoes, but never with mushrooms. She was convinced that eating mushrooms could poison you, so she wouldn't cook them.
Apparently, my kids inherited her fear of mushrooms! They're happy to eat anything I cook, but mushrooms are the one thing they argue about...
These mushroom stuffed peppers are very filling thanks to the rice and the creamy sour cream sauce. They're a bit more substantial than my Vegan Stuffed Peppers or the Feta Stuffed Peppers, which are also delicious but need a more filling side dish. With these, a few slices of good bread or some fresh rolls are all you need.
Ingredients: 16 + salt, pepper & oil | Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 6 | Difficulty: Medium
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Recipe ingredients
Bell peppers: You will need six medium peppers of roughly the same size so they cook evenly and fit together in the pot. I prefer red or yellow peppers because they're sweeter, but green peppers work, too.
Mushrooms: Regular white button mushrooms or brown cremini mushrooms.
Rice: Use regular long-grain white rice.
Vegetables and herbs: Onions, carrots, garlic, parsley, dill, and dried thyme. Fresh or frozen parsley and dill are both fine. If you have summer savory (cimbru in Romanian), use it instead of thyme. It's a herb I associate with Romanian cooking, especially stuffed vegetables and Sarmale - Romanian Cabbage Rolls.
Tomato sauce and stock: I used my homemade Marinara Sauce, but a good store-bought tomato sauce works, too.
Sour cream: Stirred into the tomato sauce at the end, it makes the sauce creamy and slightly tangy. Use full-fat sour cream or Eastern European smetana if available.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make mushroom stuffed peppers?
Step #1: Cook the rice for half the recommended time and drain it well. Cut off the pepper tops and remove the seeds. Finely chop the mushrooms, onions, garlic, and herbs. Keep them all separated.
Step #2: Slowly cook the onions and carrots until softened.
Step #3: Add the mushrooms and cook until most of their liquid has evaporated.
Step #4: Stir in the garlic, paprika, and tomato paste, then mix everything with the rice and herbs.
Step #5: Spoon the filling into the peppers, leaving a little space at the top for the rice to expand. Replace the tops and stand the peppers upright in a pot.
Step #6: Pour the tomato sauce and stock around the peppers, add the bay leaves, and simmer gently for about 35 minutes. The peppers should be tender, and the rice should be completely cooked. Remove the peppers from the pot.
Step #7: Whisk sour cream and flour in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in about ½ cup (120 ml) of the hot tomato sauce to warm the sour cream.
Step #8: Stir the sour cream and flour mixture into the tomato sauce. Warm gently until slightly thickened, then return the peppers to the pot.
My tips
Choose the right pot. This is probably the most important practical detail. The peppers should fit snugly and support each other while cooking. If the pot is too large, they can tip over.
Use the extra mushrooms if you have any. I bought a 14 oz (400 g) package and had four mushrooms left after preparing the filling. I tucked them between the peppers to help keep everything upright. They cooked beautifully in the sauce, so nothing was wasted.
Don't overfill the peppers. The rice is only partially cooked when you add it to the filling, so it needs a little room to expand.
Don't boil the sour cream sauce. Just warm it gently on low heat to prevent curdling.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate them with the sauce in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Reheating: Warm the peppers gently in a covered saucepan with their sauce. Add a splash of water or stock if the sauce has thickened too much. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave until hot throughout.
Freezing: I don't recommend freezing this dish.
What to serve with them?
I always serve these mushroom stuffed peppers with bread, either plain white bread, Linseed Bread, or Homemade Yeast Rolls.
Mushroom Stuffed Peppers
Equipment
- Skillet for the vegetables
- Small saucepan for cooking the rice
- Deep skillet with a lid that holds the peppers snugly (Note 1)
- Slotted spoon
- Fine-meshed sieve
Ingredients
- ½ cup long-grain white rice
- 6 medium bell peppers about 5 oz (150 g) each before cleaning
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled and grated
- 10½ oz mushrooms finely chopped (Note 2)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme Note 3
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped, fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons dill chopped, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup tomato sauce Note 4
- 1 cup vegetable stock plus about ½ cup (120 ml) more as needed
- 2 bay leaves
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Parboil the rice: Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh sieve under cold running water. Cook it in boiling water for half the time indicated on the package. It should still be firm, as it will finish cooking inside the peppers. Drain well.½ cup long-grain white rice
- Prepare the vegetables, keeping them separated. Cut the tops off the peppers and set them aside. Remove the seeds and membranes. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a paper towel and chop them finely. Finely chop the onions, grate the peeled carrot, mince the garlic, and chop the parsley and dill.6 medium bell peppers + 2 medium onions + 1 medium carrot + 10½ oz mushrooms + 2 garlic cloves + 2 tablespoons parsley + 2 tablespoons dill
- Sauté the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add the grated carrot and a pinch of salt. Cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the carrot softens.2 tablespoons olive oil + onions; + carrots
- Cook the mushrooms: Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid they release has evaporated. Stir in the garlic, sweet paprika, tomato paste, and thyme, and cook for another minute. Remove the skillet from the heat.mushrooms + garlic + 1 teaspoon sweet paprika + 1 tablespoon tomato paste + 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Finish the filling: Add the drained rice, parsley, and dill to the mushroom mixture. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.rice + parsley + dill + fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Stuff the peppers: Spoon the mushroom and rice filling into the peppers, leaving about ½ inch (1 cm) of space at the top to allow the rice to expand. Replace the pepper tops and arrange the peppers upright in a pot where they fit snugly. If you have a few leftover whole mushrooms, tuck them between the peppers to help keep them upright.
- Add the sauce: Mix the tomato sauce with 1 cup (250 ml) of vegetable stock and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture around the peppers and add the bay leaves. Add a little more stock, if needed, until the liquid reaches halfway to two-thirds of the way up the peppers. I needed about another ½ cup (120 ml).1 cup tomato sauce + 1 cup vegetable stock + fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper + 2 bay leaves + extra stock
- Simmer the peppers: Cover the pot and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 35 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and the rice is fully cooked. Check the rice in the center of one pepper to make sure it's done. Carefully lift the peppers onto a plate using a slotted spoon. Remove the bay leaves and turn off the heat.
- Finish the sauce: Whisk the sour cream and flour together in a small bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk in about ½ cup (120 ml) of the hot tomato sauce to warm the sour cream. Pour the mixture back into the pot, stirring gently. Return the pot to low heat and warm the sauce until slightly thickened, without letting it boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.¾ cup sour cream + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Serve: Carefully return the stuffed peppers to the pot and spoon some sauce over them. Serve hot.
Notes
- Pot: Choose a pot with a lid that is just large enough to hold all six peppers upright, with very little space between them. The peppers should lean against each other so they don't fall over during cooking.
- Mushrooms: I bought a 14 oz (400 g) package of mushrooms but only needed 10½ oz (300 g) for the filling. I had four whole mushrooms left, so I tucked them between the peppers to help keep them upright. They cooked perfectly in the tomato sauce and were delicious served alongside the peppers.
- Herbs: If you can find summer savory, use it instead of dried thyme. Summer savory (cimbru in Romanian) is commonly used in Romanian stuffed pepper recipes and gives the filling a lovely flavor.
- Tomato sauce: I use my homemade Marinara Sauce, but your favorite store-bought tomato sauce will work just as well.
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