This is one of the most delicious staple recipes I cook very often. I guess it is because, ground meat stuffed peppers is like a one-stop-shopping. It has vegetables, meat and rice in it, plus it is often served with yogurt.
Where do stuffed peppers come from?
Stuffed peppers dish is common in many cuisines, such that it might be easier to count ones that do not have stuffed peppers. Stuffed peppers are most popular in Spain, India, Post-Ottoman Lands, North America, Europe and Guatemala.
What goes with stuffed peppers as a side?
Ground meat and rice stuffed peppers is a filling dish by itself, however if you want to have a side here is a list of my favorites:
- A plain pasta, such a farfalle
- Orzo pilaf with veggies
- Carrot meze with yogurt and walnuts
- Corn bread
- Potato salad
Who can eat stuffed peppers?
It is easy for toddlers and the elders to eat stuffed peppers, as it is juicy and soft.
Flexitarians will be happy to have stuffed peppers too. As it is cooked with rice this dish is gluten-free and also nut-free. This stuffed pepper recipe is not suitable for a diet as it has rice in the ingredients. However you can substitute the rice with grated cauliflower. Please check recipe card below for details.
What type of peppers are good for making stuffed peppers?
This is a relative question, if you are in Turkey, I would reply medium sized. If it the UK I would reply as small as possible. Wherever you are try to buy similar sized ones to make sure they will cook around the same time.
Wash, clean the seeds and set aside to drain. Do not forget to make cuts in the bottom of each one with a knife. This is to let the water in the peppers to cook the rice.
How to prepare the tomatoes to act as a lid?
Preparing the tomato might sound tricky. Just out pieces of tomato, with the flesh, not the watery and seedy part. You will be using these to make fancy lids on each bell pepper.
How to prepare the filling
This recipe is for making dolma, the Turkish style stuffed peppers with ground meat. Everything in this recipe is prepared from raw. No need to cook the peppers or the stuffing before hand.
The trick is to make sure to mix well all the stuffing ingredients before starting to stuff them into the pepper. I prefer to use my hands, assume you are making meatballs. Feel free to use the food processor for chopping the onion and tomato, but not the parsley. And start filling the bell peppers. They should be full, but not stuffed stiffly, as the rice needs place to expand.
Cover every bell pepper with the tomato lid and you are almost ready to cook. They have already started looking pretty. My daughter does not like eating the peppers, so I make several meatballs and put them in the pot just like that without stuffing in a pepper. This is a method you can use when you are out of bell peppers and you still have the stuffing left. These meat balls have a funny name; “Husband Won’t See / Koca Gormez”. If you run out of peppers and still have some more stuffing filling up a tomato or a courgette is a good idea too.
Stuffed Peppers 
Stuffed Peppers – Dolma
And in about 30-40 minutes on the stow simmering over medium heat, they will be ready to be eat. Check by tasting a couple of rice, if the rice has no more stiff part in the middle, it shows that the stuffed dolma is ready
How to re-heat the stuffed peppers?
You can reheat again over the stove or you can use the microwave to speed things up.
Stuffed Tomato and Zucchini 
Stuffed tomatoes 
Stuffed Onions
If you are out of peppers?
If you still have some stuffing, but run out of peppers, you can use the same stuffing to fill tomatoes or zucchini or even parboiled onions.
If you like stuffed vegetable recipes, you might want to check vegan versions too.
Enjoy.
Meat Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 10 green peppers medium
- 300 grams ground meat medium fat beef
- 2 tomatoes large
- 2 dry onions
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 100 grams rice
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 300 millilitres water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon all spice
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 10 stalks parsley
Instructions
- Take a pepper and put your forefinger on the stem and push it downwards and pull the stem back out to take out the seeds as well as the stem. If you find this difficult or you tend to break apart the pepper; then just cut off the part with the stem as if you are cutting the top of a boiled egg. Take out the seeds, wash inside out and set aside the peppers, holes facing downwards to let the water out.
- Make 1-2 small cuts at the bottom of each pepper with a knife. This will enable water to get inside each pepper to cook the rice while cooking afterwards.
- Peel and then chop or grate the onions. You can also use a food processor for this. Put them in a large mixing bowl. Add also the minced garlic.
- Cut small 10 pieces of tomato to make lids for each pepper. Include the peel and some of the tomato itself. Grate the remaining tomato using a food processor if you like and add to the onions.
- Wash and chop the parsley and add to the onions. Do not use the food processor for the parsley, as it becomes far too small. Besides if you do so, your dolma might turn green. Combine the onions, remaining tomato, parsley in the large mixing bowl.
- Also add the ground meat.
- Wash well the rice, until there is no longer white water flowing under the colander. This is to make sure you get rid of all the starch of the rice. Add the rice to the meat mixture.
- Add the spices; salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and all spice. Adjust the spices according to your taste. Also add two table spoons of tomato paste.
- Mix all either with your hands or a spoon. Make sure everything is well combined.
- Then take each pepper and fill it with this meat mixture. Make sure they are filled up, but do not push in too much as the rice will need place to expand. Finish until the meat mixture finishes. If the meat mixture is still left, you can just make small meat balls and cook or you can use a tomato or a zucchini in stead of a pepper. Just make holes in them and proceed.
- In another small bowl mix water, olive oil, two tablespoons of tomato paste and half a teaspoon salt. And pour in to the cooking pot. Place all the now-stuffed peppers into the pot too.
- Cook, at high heat first, when the water comes to boil reduce the heat and cook about 30 minutes. Keep the lid closed. Using a pressure cooker will reduce the time. If this is your choice, reduce the water by half and cook just for 5 minutes.
- Serve warm. Garnish with plain yogurt. You may serve plain pasta – such as farfalle next to it.
Notes
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