Easy and fast Bell peppers stuffed with rice and vegetables in tomato sauce

Ely

July 9, 2024
1 min read

A real feast for vegetarians, this Bell peppers stuffed with rice and vegetables is a savory dish full of vegetables and accompanied by a delicious tomato sauce, is ideal for lovers of good taste in their plates.

Stuffed bell peppers with rice and vegetables in tomato sauce

Recipe by ElyCourse: MainCuisine: RomanianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

Calories

494

kcal

Total time

hours

minutes

I love stuffed peppers, especially the classic ones filled with pork. This time, curiosity pushed me to try some stuffed only with vegetables. This recipe is perfect for vegetarians and incredibly tasty. It also includes a little trick I recently learned from a friend — a way to remove the bitterness from the pepper skin, while also giving the dish a subtle smoky flavor.

Ingredients:

6–8 medium bell peppers
2–3 red onions
1 small zucchini
1 small eggplant
1 carrot
200 g fresh mushrooms (champignons)
1 red bell pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
700 ml tomato sauce (or tomato passata)
1 large bunch of parsley
Salt, black pepper, thyme

Directions

I prepared all my vegetables: I finely chopped the onion, red pepper, parsley, eggplant, and zucchini. I grated the carrot, chopped the mushrooms, and cleaned the seeds from the bell peppers, making sure not to tear or damage them.
Since the entire mixture is prepared in a single pot, I chose a deep skillet for this step. I added the oil and onion, and sautéed them over low heat for a few minutes, without letting them burn. Then I added the grated carrot and a pinch of salt and continued to cook for another 2–3 minutes. After that, I added the mushrooms and increased the heat until their water evaporated.
Next, I added the remaining vegetables and sautéed everything over low heat. At the end, I added the rice, 3–4 tablespoons of tomato sauce, and the parsley. I seasoned the mixture to taste — personally, I love thyme and black pepper, so I used them quite generously. I let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes, then I began filling the peppers with it.
I hope you’ve followed the recipe up to this point, because we’ve finally reached the moment where we apply the little trick that makes this dish absolutely delicious. Fry the stuffed peppers in a pan, making sure to turn them so they brown on all sides. As I mentioned, after this step the peppers will have a slightly smoky flavor and the slight bitterness of their skin will disappear.
Carefully place the fried peppers into a large pot. Then dilute the tomato sauce with 400 ml of water, add salt and black pepper, and pour it over the peppers — they should be almost covered with liquid. Bring the pot to a boil, partially covered with a lid, over medium heat. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. That’s enough time for the rice to cook and for the sauce to reduce and thicken.
Ready to serve! To me, this dish tastes like summer on a plate. Of course, we serve the peppers with sour cream and, ideally, a slice of homemade bread to dip into that delicious sauce. I hope you give the recipe a try and share your experience with me.
Enjoy!