Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers (Biber Dolmasi)

These delicious Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers (Biber Dolmasi) are filled with aromatic stuffing made of rice, onions, pine nuts, currants, and various herbs/spices.

You can serve them as a side dish as well as the main meal or an appetizer. The leftovers are great for a boxed lunch the next day or a picnic.

Stuffed vegetables (which is translated as "dolma") are very popular in Turkey. There are various recipes for the stuffing; some recipes include meat and some recipes replace the rice with bulgur. The other vegetables often used for dolma are tomatoes, courgettes, onions, wine leaves, and aubergines.

Turkish cuisine has many recipes for stuffed (dolma) and wrapped (sarma) vegetable/meat dishes such as Zucchini Boats with Ground Beef, Karniyarik - Stuffed Aubergine with Mince, Kabak Dolmasi - Rice Stuffed Zucchinis, Rice Stuffed Chicken, and Imam Bayildi (Turkish Stuffed Eggplant).

Why This Recipe Works?

• Biber Dolmasi is versatile, you can fill them with minced meat, onions, and rice for a non-vegetarian version.

• You can make this healthy vegan dish a couple of days ahead.

• Turkish vegetarian stuffed green peppers can be served cold or at room temperature as a part of a buffet or mezze spread.

• You can use this aromatic rice filling with different species and colors of peppers.

• They are much easier to make than other stuffed vegetables or Yaprak Sarma - Dolma (Stuffed Grape Leaves) because the peppers don't need much preparation. 

Ingredients You'll Need

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

What Peppers to Use for Dolma?

Turkish mini bell peppers, called Dolmalik Biber in Turkey which means "pepper for stuffing" are best for making Biber Dolmasi. They have a rich smoky-sweet flavor and they are ideal for stuffing. These small green bell peppers have thin skin which makes them more pleasant to eat. You can also use jalapeño peppers, red romano peppers, or bell peppers if you can't get hold of Turkish mini bell peppers.

• Rice - Any short-grain rice would work with this recipe. Make sure you wash the rice under running cold water to get rid of the starch.

• Pine nuts - They are great for adding some texture and nutty flavor to dishes such as Yaprak Sarma - Dolma, Rice Stuffed Chicken, or Vegan Lebanese Eggplant Moussaka (Maghmour). Omit them if you have nut allergies or you don't have them in hand.

• Currants - They are small dried raisins and a popular ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine. Although they are typically used for baked goods, it is common to use them in cooking Turkish Cuisine.

• Olive Oil - It is an important ingredient to achieve the best taste in olive oil-based dishes. I prefer extra virgin olive oil but you can use any oil you like cooking with.

• Tomato paste - It is the staple of Turkish cooking. It adds an umami flavor to the dishes as well as a bright red color. You can find it in Turkish or Middle Eastern shops. You can also buy it from Amazon .

Step-by-Step Instructions

This is a straightforward recipe to follow. However, to achieve the best results you need to follow a few simple steps:

Prepare the Rice Filling

Place a medium-sized saucepan on low heat and add olive oil along with the onions. Gently sauté them until soft and translucent.

Add the rice along with the blackcurrants and cook for a few minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice, ½ cup of water, cinnamon, freshly ground black pepper, paprika, dried mint, sugar, salt, and tomato paste, and cover the pan with a lid.

The rice will continue cooking with the peppers so it's ok if they are still crunchy. Give the mixture a stir and let it cool down for 10 minutes before stuffing the peppers.

Prepare the Peppers

You can prepare the peppers while the onions are slowly cooking. Cut off the stalks of the peppers gently and scoop out the seeds.

Wash your peppers and lightly season with salt. Arrange them in a pan in which you will cook your stuffed peppers and set them aside until the filling is ready.

Stuff the Peppers and Cook

When the filling cooled down a bit, stuff the peppers with rice filling up to ⅔ only as the rice will swell when cooked. Don't push the filling down or overfill the peppers.

Put a cherry tomato on each pepper and place the peppers upright in a saucepan tightly.

Dilute the tomato paste in water and add to the pan. Cook on low heat for 30 minutes or until the rice is soft. Serve them warm or at room temperature with an extra slice of lemon.

Top Tips From the Chef

• Choose fresh, firm, and medium-sized Turkish peppers for stuffing. Alternatively, you can use red, yellow, or green bell peppers for this dish.

• Cut off the tops of the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes carefully to create a cavity for the filling.

• When filling the peppers, don't push the rice filling down or overfill the peppers.

• If you run out of peppers, you can fill tomatoes or onions with the rest of the stuffing. Alternatively, you can keep the leftover filling refrigerated and cook it over low heat to serve as a side dish on another day. 

• To ensure that the filling is thoroughly cooked, consider sautéing the vegetables and rice before stuffing the peppers.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve these delicious stuffed peppers with some garlicky yogurt and a piece of bread as a meal. Some bread recipes you might enjoy having with your dolma are: Tawa Naan with Garlic, Gozleme (Turkish Pancakes), Homemade Sandwich Bread, Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread), and Greek Pita Bread.

Dolma is also great to serve with salads such as Greek Cucumber Salad, Indian Chickpea Salad (Chana Salad), Warm Austrian Potato Salad, or Piyaz (Turkish Bean Salad).

Storage and Reheating

Storage

To store Turkish vegetarian stuffed peppers (Biber Dolmasi), allow them to cool completely after cooking. Once cooled, place the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to five days. I don't recommend freezing the leftovers as the texture of the peppers and rice would change and get soggy!

Reheating

To reheat the leftover Biber Dolma, place them in a saucepan and add a few drops of water. Gently simmer until they reach the desired temperature.

To reheat them in the oven, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the stuffed peppers in an oven-safe dish and cover them with aluminum foil to prevent them from drying out. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Alternatively, you can use the microwave to reheat Biber Dolmasi.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more scrumptious vegetarian side dishes why not try:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making these vegetarian rice-stuffed Turkish green peppers as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂

Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun! 

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