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mushroom stuffed peppers in a bowl, one cut to show the filling.
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Mushroom Stuffed Peppers

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.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Course: Main Course, Romanian Main Course
Cuisine: Romanian
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 240kcal
Author: Adina Beck

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
US - EU

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Tomato sauce: I use my homemade Marinara Sauce, but your favorite store-bought tomato sauce will work just as well.

Nutrition

Serving: 1⅙ of the recipe | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 404mg | Potassium: 723mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 6212IU | Vitamin C: 163mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 2mg