Stuffed Peppers in Tomato Sauce
This is our favorite and best stuffed peppers in tomato sauce recipe – bell peppers stuffed with ground beef and rice and smothered in a smooth and flavorful tomato sauce.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 530kcal
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
Stuffed peppers:
- 8 medium red bell peppers Note 1
- 2.5 oz white rice 75 g
- 2 oz white bread crust removed, 60 g
- 1 medium onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 lb ground beef 450 g, Note 2
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder Note 3
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill Note 4
- fine sea salt or Kosher
- ground black pepper
Tomato sauce:
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder
- 2 ¾ cups chicken stock low sodium, 650 ml, Note 5
- 3.5 oz tomato paste 100 g
- 10.5 oz tomato puree 300 g
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- fine sea salt and black pepper
- 4-6 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
Instructions
Stuffed peppers:
- Cook the rice in salted water, drain well, and let it cool until you prepare the rest.2.5 oz/ 75 g white rice
- Prepare stuffing ingredients: Cut and remove the tops of the peppers, discarding the seeds and the membranes. Soak the white bread in some water for a few minutes, and squeeze it in your hand to remove the excess water. Chop the onion very finely and grate the garlic cloves.8-10 red bell peppers, 2 oz/ 60 g white bread without crust, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves
- Stuffing: Mix the ground beef, soaked bread, cooled rice, sweet paprika powder, egg, onion, garlic cloves, chopped dill, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix with your hand and fill the peppers with this mixture.1 lb/ 450 ground beef, 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoon dill
Tomato sauce:
- Sauté: Heat the olive oil and cook the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and the sweet paprika and stir for one minute more.2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- Tomato sauce: Pour the stock into the pan. Add tomato paste, tomato puree, sugar, salt, and pepper, and stir well to dissolve the tomato paste and combine everything (you can use a small whisk to help the tomato paste dissolve). Place the stuffed peppers into the sauce.2 ¾ cups/ 650 ml chicken stock + 3.5 oz/ 100 g tomato paste + 10.5 oz/ 300 g tomato puree + 1 teaspoon sugar + salt + pepper
- Simmer on medium-low heat, covered, for about 10 minutes. Turn the peppers on the other side and cook for further 10 minutes. Turn the peppers in the sauce again, turn the heat down to low, and continue simmering for another 15 minutes or until the peppers are soft.
- Check: It might take longer if the peppers are large, poke them with a fork to see how soft they are and prolong the cooking time accordingly; you want them to be soft but still holding their shape.
- Adjust the taste with more salt and pepper, stir most of the chopped dill in the sauce, and sprinkle the rest on top.4-6 tablespoon chopped dill
Notes
- Ground meat: You can use a mixture of beef and pork or only pork as well.
- Sweet paprika powder: Use the best quality you can afford; when it comes to paprika, it really makes a difference. I like sweet Hungarian or Spanish paprika powder. It has to be sweet for an authentic flavor, hot or smoked paprika is unsuitable for this dish.
- Dill: Fresh dill is best, but frozen dill is also fine. Dried dill is not an option.
- Stock: Chicken stock is my first choice, but beef or vegetable stock is also fine. It’s preferable to use low sodium to avoid over-salting the dish.
Nutrition
Serving: 1stuffed pepper | Calories: 530kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 165mg | Sodium: 912mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 15g