I haven’t made stuffed peppers in ages even though they are pretty easy to make and we like them a lot. Stuffed with ground pork and/or beef, rice, tomato paste and seasonings, stuffed peppers (ardei umpluti) are very popular in Romania and they are usually served as a main dish. They are also quite popular in many of the Eastern European countries although depending on the region the recipe may be slightly different.
Time: 65 min, Prep: 20 min. Cook: 45 min.
Servings: 5
Ingredients:
- 10 medium bell peppers
- 500 g ground beef
- 500 g pork
- 150 g cooked white rice
- 5 Tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onions
- 200 ml tomato paste
- 4 Tbsp chopped parsley
- salt and pepper
- 400 ml crushed tomatoes
- 400 ml water
Preparation:
Finely chop the onions. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the onions until translucent. Add the tomato paste and cook stirring for another 3-4 minutes.
Carefully cut off the tops (you’ll need to put them back on), core the peppers and discard seeds and membranes. Arrange the peppers in a baking dish with the hollowed sides facing upward.
In a bowl, mix the ground beef, ground pork, cooked rice, chopped parsley and the onions with tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
Spoon 4-5 tablespoons of the mixture into each pepper. Place the bell pepper tops back on. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven until the peppers are tender and the skin is a little blistered.
Remove peppers from the oven, mix the crushed tomatoes with the water and pour over the stuffed peppers. The peppers should be almost covered with liquid. Bake for 25 minutes.
Serve with a few generous tablespoons of sour cream.
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