Recently I had flashbacks to my childhood, where my mother now and then put delicious stuffed peppers on the table. I couldn't find the ultimate recipe anywhere, so I called my mother and she explained what to do. And today I am sharing my authentic stuffed bell pepper recipe with you.
If you look on the net you will find a thousand and one different recipes for making stuffed peppers. Everyone then adds a personal touch (or not) and shares this with the whole world. However, in all the recipes I came across, I missed the authentic taste of paprika. So it's time to consult my mother and tell her the secret of delicious stuffed peppers. Fortunately I was able to reach her via whatsapp. Not always easy with a time difference of 4 hours and a not always good connection on her part (she lives in Suriname).
Anyway, the recipe is not only very simple, but also really delicious because of its simplicity. After the first bites I knew:this was exactly the right recipe. And the secret? It's in the herbs used. Below you will find my authentic recipe stuffed peppers. Easy and especially printable, so you can make it yourself in no time.
Normally you make stuffed peppers with meat, but because my hubby is not very fond of meat, I also made a vegetarian version. I have also noted this down, so that you can choose from stuffed peppers with meat or stuffed peppers vegetarian.
Print Authentic recipe stuffed peppers Preparation 50 min Baking/cooking time 25 min Time 1 hour 15 min Dish:Main course Servings:6 Author:anja Ingredients
Cook the rice as follows:for 2 cups of rice, use about 3.5 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil with some salt. Once the water is boiling, add the rice and stir well. Let it boil for a while, stir the rice again, cover the pan and turn off the heat. Wrap the hot pan in a thick blanket or a thick tablecloth and let the rice sit there for about 30 – 40 minutes (can take a little longer, but also a little longer). You can also prepare the rice in advance or even use leftover rice.
While the rice is cooking, remove the stems and seeds from the peppers. Use a sharp knife and cut a circle around the stem. This allows you to pop the stem right out and part of the seeds will come with it. You can easily scrape out the rest of the seeds with a spoon.
Mix the rice with the raw minced meat and season with the herbs.
Now fill the hollowed out bell pepper with the rice-mince mixture
Make a hole in each stuffed pepper by sticking your finger in the center (so you only do that when the pepper is filled with rice)
Place the stuffed peppers in a frying pan
The holes are filled to the brim with tomato paste. You don't have to season the tomato puree, the rice with minced meat is already provided with herbs
Leftover tomato paste is put in the pan with some herbs and some water
You can cover the peppers with an extra block of cheese. The heat will melt the cheese and give the stuffed peppers just that little bit of extra flavor
Cover the pan and let it simmer for about 25 minutes
Before serving, 2 peppers are put on the plate and some tomato sauce is poured over it
You can serve leftover rice on the side. If there is still some rice-mince mixture left, you can add that to the sauce, so that it is also cooked.
You make the vegetarian version in exactly the same way, only you mix the rice with cheese instead of minced meat. You can also add some extra vegetables if you like.
Do you like bell peppers? Then the authentic stuffed peppers recipe is highly recommended. Let me know when you make the recipe! Photos are always welcome.
