Stuffed Green Bell Peppers
Ginger in the filling gives the dish a nice heat that warms the back of your throat, the cumin contributes its smokiness, parsley its bright freshness, rich tomato soup slight acidity balances the sharpness of garlic and sweetness of onion, while the mashed potatoes with its creaminess offers a nice introduction to your taste buds of what is coming “to town”.
Total Steps
13
Ingredients
18
Tools Needed
4
Ingredients
- 4 medium size green bell peppers
- 3/4 cup long grain rice
- 1 cup coarsely ground beef
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Vegeta
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 cups water
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Step 1
Wash and dry bell peppers.
Step 2
Using a small knife, carefully remove the stem and seeds from inside each bell pepper.
Step 3
Rinse the inside of the peppers under running water and let them drain over a colander. Preserve the stem caps to be used later.
Step 4
Wash the rice and let it drain.
Step 5
In a large pot, bring water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add salt and rice. Stir until the water boils again, then reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for 7 minutes until al dente. Drain the rice into a colander, rinse under cold running water, and set aside.
Step 6
Place a skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper, and sweat for 3 minutes. Add ground beef and all remaining seasonings (paprika, cumin, ginger, Vegeta, 1/4 teaspoon salt), stir, and brown the meat for about 5 minutes.
Step 7
Remove the skillet from heat, add the well-drained rice and parsley, then stir to combine.
Step 8
Fill each bell pepper generously with the prepared filling, pressing it down tightly. Close each pepper with its preserved stem cap.
Step 9
If there is any leftover filling, reserve it to add to the tomato soup 5 minutes before the dish finishes cooking.
Step 10
Ensure the pot you are using is large enough to tightly fit all four filled peppers and tall enough to prevent the tomato soup from splattering during cooking.
Step 11
Place the pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and lightly brown the 4 garlic cloves to infuse the oil. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, 3 cups water, and salt. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
Step 12
Carefully add the filled bell peppers to the boiling tomato soup.
Step 13
Once the tomato soup returns to a boil, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Then, partially uncover the pot and cook for an additional 10 minutes. If you reserved any leftover filling, add it during the last 5 minutes of this cooking time.