These Mediterranean stuffed peppers are a classic Israeli dish that is both healthy and delicious. Red bell peppers filled with meat and rice and cooked in tomato sauce… It’s a whole meal in one pot!
It’s my mission to try and make as many pots of delicious Mediterranean stuffed peppers as I possibly can during the growing season. I grow the little lunchbox peppers for snacking and salads, and most of my red bell peppers find themselves stuffed in a pot.
The reason that I do that, aside from the fact that this dish is delicious, of course, is because it’s a great way to make a freezer meal that is super healthy and filling.
Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers…
I divide the pot into portions and freeze my Mediterranean stuffed peppers. Then, I get to enjoy my peppers any time of the year. This is not a hard dish to make, it’s delicious, filling, and healthy. It’s a childhood dish that was served many times on my mother’s table back in Israel.
Ingredients for Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers…
For the peppers…
- Rice – I like using basmati rice but you can use any kind you want.
- Water – to cook the rice in.
- Parsley – I remove the stems and use just the leaves.
- Medium onion – diced.
- Ground beef – I use lean meat but you can also use 80/20.
- Seasonings – we’ll use cumin, salt, and black pepper.
- Bell peppers – I used small peppers but choose whatever size you want. Make sure that the peppers are fresh.
For the sauce…
- Chicken stock
- Tomato paste
- Large onion
- Olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
Kitchen Tools…
How to Make Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers…
Step one – prepare the stuffing. Start with half a cup of white rice. After rinsing the rice, place it in a small pot and add half a cup of water. Cover the pot, turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and cook the rice until all the water is absorbed. This takes a few minutes. Once the rice is ready, let it cool for a few minutes and then fluff it with a fork. Leave the pot uncovered, set it aside, and let it cool all the way.
While the rice is cooling, add a big bunch of parsley leaves and a medium onion, peeled and cut into large pieces, into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the parsley and onion a few times until they are processed.
To a large mixing bowl, add the parsley and onion mixture, ground beef, and the partly cooked rice. Then add cumin, salt, and black pepper. Use your hands to mix it all well together and set aside.
Step two – stuff the peppers. Wash the peppers well. Cut around the stem and pull it out. Reach inside and remove as much of the white part that is inside the pepper as you can as well as the seeds. Fill the peppers with the meat mixture. I use a spoon or my hands to stuff the peppers, then I place them in a casserole dish as you see in the picture, it holds them well until it’s time to place them in the pot.
Step three – prepare the sauce. this is a really simple sauce. Add chicken stock to a pot and bring it to a boil. Then add a can of tomato paste and mix until the paste is dissolved before turning the heat off.
Step four – cook the peppers. In a saute pan, heat olive oil and add the diced onion. Fry the onion on medium heat for a few minutes until it starts to brown. Then season with salt and pepper and mix. Remove the pot from the heat for a minute and add the peppers. Crowd them together so they stand up. If you have any of the meat filling leftover, make meatballs and tuck them in with the stuffed peppers.
Return the pot to the heat and immediately cover the peppers with the sauce. Now all that is left to do is to cover the pot, bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and cook, covered, for about an hour.
Serving Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers…
- Drizzle the sauce on top – place two or three peppers on a serving plate and make sure to spoon some of the sauce and drizzle it on top of the peppers before serving.
- With bread – in my opinion, you must have a good loaf of bread to enjoy with this dish! My favorite is this Artisan bread that is very easy to make. Make sure to dip the bread in the sauce!
- With a salad – this dish goes very well with beet salad or red cabbage salad.
- No real need for side dish – since there is rice in the stuffing and we usually eat these stuffed peppers with bread, I personally don’t feel the need for another side dish other than salad.
How to Store Stuffed Peppers…
- In the fridge – you can easily stick the pan in the fridge or transfer the peppers to a plastic container and place that in the fridge. This dish should last 4-7 days in the fridge. When you are ready to serve it, add as many peppers as you want to serve to a plate and reheat it in the microwave. Or, add peppers and sauce into a small pot and reheat on the stovetop. You might need to add a tiny bit of water if there isn’t enough sauce.
- In the freezer – Mediterranean stuffed peppers are a great dish to freeze and can be an easy ready made healthy meal for later. You’ll need to let the peppers cool, then divide the pot into portions, let’s say two or three peppers per serving, place each serving in a freezer container, add some of the sauce and freeze for later. To let them thaw, just take the container and place it on the counter for a few hours. Then, you can heat the peppers in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in the oven before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions…
Definitely! It doesn’t have to be bell peppers. Try making the same dish with poblano peppers.
You can. You can try cooking some lentils and vegetables and mixing them with the rice for the stuffing. Then, stuff the peppers and cook them in the same tomato sauce.
I personally think that ground beef tastes best here. Sausage meat or ground venison will work well. I’ve never tried it with ground chicken, turkey, or pork but you can definitely give it a try.
You’ll notice that the peppers themselves are not firm but cooked and the ground beef is cooked all the way. Also, the sauce will reduce and thicken.
This is a great way to preserve peppers! If you find yourself with many peppers during the growing season, make Mediterranean stuffed peppers and freeze them for later. This is a classic Israeli dish that you’ll find on any dinner table in Israel. My mother used to make it a lot and I liked it then and love it now. I hope that you’ll give it a try!
More Pepper Content on the Blog…
- Canning Hot Peppers
- Canning Roasted Red Peppers
- Candied Jalapenos
- Preserve Peppers in Vinegar and Salt
- Fermented Jalapenos
- Red Pepper Paste
- How to Roast Poblano Peppers
- Canning Poblano Peppers
Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers
These Mediterranean stuffed peppers are a classic Israeli dish that is both healthy and delicious. Red bell peppers filled with meat and rice and cooked in tomato sauce... It's a whole meal in one pot!
Ingredients
For the Peppers...
- 1/2 cup, rinsed basmati rice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 bunch of parsley, washed and stems removed
- 1 medium onion, cut into large pieces
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 23 medium red bell peppers, stem removed and cleaned from seeds
For the Sauce...
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 6oz can of tomato paste
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add rice into a small pot. Add 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil then lower the heat and cook covered for a couple of minutes until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few moments. Then fluff the rice with a fork and set aside.
- Add parsley leaves and medium onion to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until processed.
- To a large bowl, add the rice, parsley/onion mixture, and ground beef. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper and use your hands to mix it all together.
- Fill your peppers with the meat mixture. Set aside in a casserole dish for now.
- To make the sauce, add the chicken stock to a smaller pot and bring to a boil. Add the tomato paste and mix until the tomato paste is dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a shallow and wide pan, heat olive oil. Lower the heat to medium-high and add the diced onion. Fry the onion until it starts to brown. Season with salt and black pepper and mix.
- Remove the pot from the heat for a minute and add the stuffed peppers. Crowd them together so they stand on their ends.
- Place pot back over the heat and immediately add the sauce, trying to cover all the peppers.
- Cover the pot, bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and cook covered for about an hour.
- Serve hot with freshly made bread to dip in the sauce.
Notes
How to Store Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers...
- In the fridge – you can easily stick the pot in the fridge or transfer the peppers to a plastic container and place that in the fridge. This dish should last 4-7 days in the fridge. When you are ready to serve it, add as many peppers as you want to serve to a plate and reheat it in the microwave. Or, add peppers and sauce into a small pot and reheat on the stovetop. You might need to add a tiny bit of water if there isn’t enough sauce.
- In the freezer – Mediterranean stuffed peppers are a great dish to freeze and can be an easy ready made healthy meal for later. You’ll need to let the peppers cool, then divide the pot into portions, let’s say two or three peppers per serving, place each serving in a freezer container, add some of the sauce and freeze for later. To let them thaw, just take the container and place it on the counter for a few hours. Then, you can heat the peppers in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in the oven before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions...
- Can I use different kinds of peppers?
Definitely! It doesn’t have to be bell peppers. Try making the same dish with poblano peppers. - Can I make this dish vegetarian?
You can. You can try cooking some lentils and vegetables and mixing them with the rice for the stuffing. Then, stuff the peppers and cook them in the same tomato sauce. - Can I use different meat?
I personally think that ground beef tastes best here. Sausage meat or ground venison will work well. I’ve never tried it with ground chicken, turkey, or pork but you can definitely give it a try. - How do I know when the peppers are done?
You’ll notice that the peppers themselves are not firm but cooked and the ground beef is cooked all the way. Also, the sauce will reduce and thicken.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 398Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 559mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 5gSugar: 22gProtein: 22g
Hi! I’m Lady Lee. I help homesteaders simplify their homesteading journey while still producing a ton of food! I am a single mother of four, I was born in Israel and raised in an agricultural commune called a Kibbutz. Now I homestead in central NC.