Stuffed Peppers

Dinner

Sweet bell peppers roasted and stuffed with herby rice, tomatoes, and Gruyère, then baked in tomato sauce until fork-tender. The peppers are jammy with caramelized edges, while the filling stays rich and fragrant with garlic and Provençal herbs!

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 10

Servings 4

Ingredients

4 bell peppers red, yellow, or both
2 tbsp olive oil
200 gr rice
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
250 gr tomatoes
100 gr breadcrumbs
100 gr Gruyère or Parmesan
200 ml tomato sauce
2 egg
1 handful parsley
1 handful thyme
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper

Equipment

Instructions

1. Prepare the peppers

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Cut the tops off the peppers, about 2cm down from the stem, and keep the tops. Scoop out all the seeds and white membrane. If a pepper won't stand upright, slice a tiny bit off the base to flatten it, but don't cut through into the cavity. Rub the outsides with a little olive oil, place cut-side down on a baking tray, and roast for 15 minutes to soften them slightly. Set aside.

2. Make the filling

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 6–7 minutes until soft and sweet. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, letting them break down into a sauce. If using pine nuts, add them now and toast for 2 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.

3. Build the filling mixture

Take the pan off the heat and tip everything into a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked rice, breadcrumbs, half the grated cheese, the eggs and all the fresh herbs. Mix really well. It should be moist but not wet, and hold together when squeezed. Taste and adjust the seasoning, it needs to be quite bold because the peppers will dilute it.

4. Stuff the peppers

Pour the tomato sauce (passata) into the bottom of your baking dish. Stand the peppers upright in it. Spoon the filling into each, packing it firmly and mounding it slightly on top, it settles as it cooks. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over each, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Put the tops back on if you like, though many leave them off.

5. Bake

Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15–20 minutes, until the peppers are really soft and slightly charred at the edges and the filling is golden and set on top. A fork should cut through the pepper easily.

6. Rest and serve

Let them sit for 5 minutes, they're molten straight from the oven and need a moment to settle. Serve each pepper with some of the tomato sauce from the dish spooned around it.

Notes

Cook your rice the day before if you can. Cold rice works better, it's less sticky and absorbs flavour better. Leftover rice is perfect.
Red and yellow peppers are sweeter than green when roasted. Orange works too. Avoid green, they stay bitter.
For a vegan version, skip the eggs and cheese. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato purée and an extra handful of breadcrumbs to bind. Top with nutritional yeast instead of cheese.
For something more substantial, add about 100g cooked lentils to the rice mixture.
Fresh herbs make a real difference. If using dried, halve the quantities.
These keep in the fridge for 3 days and are good cold, proper picnic food.
You can freeze the stuffed but uncooked peppers. Defrost fully before baking and add 10 minutes.
Toasted pine nuts add lovely texture but aren't essential. Swap for chopped walnuts if you prefer.