This is my special family recipe for stuffed peppers. The fresh tasting sauce will shock you, especially considering there’s no fresh tomatoes in it!
Stuffed Peppers
Servings
4
servingsPrep time
30
minutesCooking time
40
minutesCalories
300
kcalIngredients
- For the Stuffed Peppers:
6-8 peppers (any color)
2 tbsp olive oil
5 carrots (peeled and shredded)
3 onions (chopped)
1 lb lean ground beef (a bit more is fine too, as some packages come in just over 500g)
1 1/2 cups rice
1 tsp fine salt
½ tsp pepper
- For the Sauce:
2 cans (6 oz each) tomato paste
4 cups chicken stock (more as needed)
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sambal oelek
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
salt
pepper
- For the Garnish:
parsley (optional)
sour cream (optional)
Directions
- Pre-cook your rice as per the package instructions for about 10 minutes. It should not be fully cooked, as we’ll finish cooking it in the oven.
- Let the rice cool.
- Prepare your peppers by coring them out and reserving the lids for the top.
- Lightly grease a Dutch oven pan and stand up the peppers into the pan, making sure they fit and can remain standing up.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook peppers and carrots in olive oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened.
- Transfer half of the onion-carrot mixture into a large bowl and set aside.
- Add tomato paste to the remaining onions and carrots and cook for about a minute or two on medium heat. This trick makes your tomato paste lose the “canned” taste and taste like ultra-fresh tomatoes.
- Add 3 cups chicken stock, basil, sugar, sambal, and soy sauce, and lightly season with salt and pepper. (Because the sauce will reduce so much, you don’t want it to be over-seasoned.)
- Cook the sauce for 3-4 minutes for the flavors to meld lightly. Don’t worry. It will cook for a while in the oven and take on so many flavors soon enough.
- Add cooled par-cooked rice, ground beef, 1 teaspoon of fine salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper to the bowl with reserved onions and carrots made in step 4. Mix gently. Over-mixing will make the mixture tough, so mix gently but still ensure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Divide the mixture between your prepared peppers, gently stuffing each pepper.
- Take a cup of chicken stock and pour it evenly over the stuffed peppers infusing them with extra moisture.
- Pour the sauce prepared in step 6 over the peppers. Make sure the sauce comes up at least 1.5 inches on the sides of the peppers. Add more water if needed. Bring the sauce to a boil.
- Place reserved pepper lids on top of the peppers. Cover and place the entire pot into the oven for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, increase the heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and remove the lid. Let the peppers bake uncovered for about 20 minutes. Ensure the rice is cooked.
- If the sauce is too runny, pour it into a pan and reduce over medium-high heat for a few minutes until thickened to desired consistency.
- Season the sauce with more sugar, basil, salt, pepper, or sambal to taste.
- Serve the peppers with lots of this bight tasting sauce, and enjoy!
