Bulgarian Stuffed Peppers

115 min · Easy · Serves 1

590 kcal per serving · 26g protein

The Bulgarian Sunday classic: sweet peppers filled with pork-and-beef mince and rice, baked slowly in a light tomato sauce until soft and wrinkled — a different dish entirely from an American turkey-and-wild-rice stuffed pepper. The filling is seasoned with chubritsa and cumin, and the peppers are always eaten with a spoonful of cold yogurt. Bread for the sauce is not optional.

Ingredients

• Medium bell peppers, similar size × 2
• 50 g Ground beef
• 50 g Pork mince
• 30 g Rice
• Onion, finely chopped × 1
• 150 g Canned tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Sunflower oil
• 0.5 tsp Paprika
• 0.5 tsp Chubritsa
• 1 pinch Cumin
• 2 sprig Fresh parsley
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 pinch Black pepper
• 2 tbsp Yogurt, to serve

Method

1. Hollow the Peppers

   

   Slice the tops off the peppers and pull out the seeds and white ribs with your fingers, keeping the peppers whole. Finely chop the onion and the parsley.

2. Brown the Filling

   

   Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the onion for 3 minutes until soft and see-through, then add both minces and cook for 5 minutes, breaking them up with the spoon until they look like browned crumbs.

3. Season & Simmer

   

   Stir in the rice, paprika, chubritsa, cumin, half the canned tomatoes and a splash of water. Simmer for 2 minutes, then season with salt, black pepper and the parsley, and take off the heat.

4. Stuff the Peppers

   

   Spoon the filling into the peppers, only three-quarters full, and sit them in a small, deep baking dish. Mix the rest of the tomatoes with 100 ml water and a pinch of salt, and pour it around the peppers.

5. Bake Until Soft

   

   Bake at 180°C for 55–60 minutes, until the pepper skins are wrinkled and soft, the sauce is bubbling, and a taste of the filling shows the rice is tender, not chalky.

6. Serve with Yogurt

   

   Rest for 5 minutes, then serve with the sauce spooned over and a spoonful of cold yogurt on the side.