These Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers are loaded with bold flavor and aromatic spices. You’ll never want to go back to regular stuffed peppers again!
Introducing these irresistible Mediterranean stuffed peppers—a recipe that’s so good, you’ll be making it time and time again! Picture this: bell peppers bursting with a tantalizing beef and rice filling, seasoned with Mediterranean spices that dance on your palate. These peppers are not only delicious but also the superheroes of weeknight meals, saving you precious time with their make-ahead magic.
These peppers are stuffed to the brim with the flavors of cumin, parsley, and other Mediterranean spices full of deliciousness topped with feta. It’s like a Mediterranean vacation for your taste buds. With each bite, you’ll feel the warmth of the Mediterranean sun and the cool breeze of the sea—well, maybe not literally, but you get the idea!
But wait, there’s more! This recipe is not just a feast for your senses; it’s also a practical choice for busy weeknights. These stuffed peppers are super easy to prepare ahead of time. Simply assemble them in advance, pop them in the fridge, and when dinner time rolls around, voila! Dinner is served faster than you can say “Opa!”
So, get ready to spice up your dinner routine and embark on a flavor-filled adventure with our Mediterranean stuffed peppers. Your taste buds will thank you, and your family will be asking for more!
Ingredients
These Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers are the perfect complete meal in one dish! Making it one of my favorite weeknight dinners.
- Ground Beef: Browning the ground beef before baking the peppers prevents the meat from having a chewy boiled texture that sometimes happens in stuffed peppers.
- Bell Peppers: I love using tri-color bell peppers for this dish, the color is so vibrant and they are a bit sweeter than traditional green peppers.
- Rice: Long grain white rice helps bind the meat stuffing together. I prefer Jasmine rice, but you could use whatever rice you prefer.
- Cumin and Smoked Paprika: These spiced mixed together are such a great combination with the ground beef.
- Parsley: The fresh parsley is added in the be ground beef mixture as well as a topping once the peppers have finished cooking. It brings such a bright flavor to the dish. I always use fresh parsley, but this can be swapped for dried.
- Onion & Garlic Powder
- Tomato Paste & Chicken Broth: The combination of the tomato paste and chicken broth creates a lovely salty-tomato sauce that the peppers are cooked in. This stuff is delicious and so simple!
- Feta
Instructions
Prep the Vegetables and Preheat Oven: Chop the onion and clean and half the bell peppers. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brown the meat: In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Once fully cooked, if the meat has a lot of drippings drain the meat.
Cook the rice: In a separate saucepan add the rice and water together and bring to a boil, allow the rice to cook for 8-10 minutes. The rice will be slightly undercooked, fluff the rice with a fork as the water is evaporating to keep the rice from forming large clumps.
Cook the tomato sauce: In a small separate saucepan, combine the chicken broth with tomato paste. Heat until just boiling and stir together until fully mixed. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Cook the onions: While the rice is cooking, add the chopped onions to the skillet and cook for 1-2 min until barely translucent. Return ground beef to the skillet and mix the onions and meat together.
Add in Spices: Dump the spices into the meat and onions, and stir until combined.
Add in Rice: Remove the ground beef mix from heat and add in the cooked rice. Stir to combine.
Add Parsley: Dump the chopped parsley into the skillet and stir it into the rice and ground beef mixture.
Arrange the Peppers: In a 9×13 baking dish, arrange the halved stuffed peppers to be filled with the ground beef mixture.
Stuff the peppers: With a spoon or ice cream scooper, fill each pepper full with the ground beef mixture.
Pour on Tomato Sauce: Once the peppers are fully stuffed, pour the tomato sauce on the peppers and in the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 min in preheated oven.
Once baking is complete, remove foil and top with feta cheese and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Stuffed Peppers Tips
There are a lot of things cooking on the stove at one time to make the recipe, to manage that to be less stressful I try to always prep everything before I start cooking anything.
Also, the peppers can be halved as shown in the phots. Or if you prefer to have the peppers stuffed standing upright, just cut the center stem out of the pepper and fill full. This recipe fills 4 peppers if halved or 6 peppers if filled upright.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can stuffed peppers be made ahead of time?
To prep these stuffed peppers ahead of time, complete the recipe until its ready to bake. Then cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 48 hours before baking.
How to know when stuffed peppers are done?
To check for doneness, the bell peppers should be fully cooked and softened. Also, the tomato sauce in the center of the pan should be boiling.
Are stuffed peppers gluten free?
These stuffed peppers are gluten free!
Can stuffed peppers be keto or Whole30?
Yes, if making these to be Whole 30 or keto, simply skip the rice. We’ve made them without rice several times and they turn out great and are still filling!
Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- ½ cup white rice rinsed
- ¾ cup water
- 2 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 small onion
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 jar tomato paste 7 oz
- 2 cup chicken broth
- 4 bell peppers
- Feta Crumbles optional
Instructions
- Prep the Vegetables and Preheat Oven: Chop the onion and clean and half the bell peppers. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Brown the meat: In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Once fully cooked, if the meat has a lot of drippings, drain the meat.
- Cook the rice: In a separate saucepan add the rice and water together and bring to a boil, allow the rice to cook for 8-10 minutes. The rice will be slightly undercooked, fluff the rice with a fork as the water is evaporating to keep the rice from forming large clumps.
- Cook the tomato sauce: In a small separate saucepan, combine the chicken broth with tomato paste. Heat until just boiling and stir together until fully mixed. Remove from heat, and set aside.
- Cook the onions: While the rice is cooking, add the chopped onions to the skillet and cook for 1-2 min until barely translucent. Return ground beef to the skillet and mix the onions and meat together.
- Add in Spices: Dump the spices into the meat and onions, and stir until combined.
- Add in Rice: Remove the ground beef mix from heat and add in the cooked rice. Stir to combine.
- Add Parsley: Dump the chopped parsley into the skillet and stir it into the rice and ground beef mixture.
- Arrange the Peppers: In a 9×13 baking dish, arrange the halved stuffed peppers to be filled with the ground beef mixture.
- Stuff the peppers: With a spoon or ice cream scooper, fill each pepper full with the ground beef mixture.
- Pour on Tomato Sauce: Once the peppers are fully stuffed, pour the tomato sauce on the peppers and in the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 min in preheated oven.Serve topped with Feta cheese crumbles and fresh parsley.
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