Name: Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 10 small Turkish bell peppers ((or 5-6 large bell peppers)); 3 tbsp good quality olive oil; 30 g pine nuts; 2 large onions ((small diced)); 30 g black currants; 200 g short grain or pudding rice ((1 cup)); 60 ml lemon juice (¼ cup); ½ cup water; ½ TSP cinnamon; ½ TSP freshly ground black pepper; 1 TSP paprika; 1 TSP dried mint; 1 TSP sugar; ½ tbsp salt; ½ tbsp tomato paste; 1 cup chopped parsley; 2 tbsp chopped dill; 10 cherry tomatoes ((for garnish)); 1 TSP tomato paste diluted in 1 cup water ((to cook the stuffed peppers))

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These delicious Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers (Biber Dolma) 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 appetiser. The leftovers are great for boxed lunch the next day or a picnic.

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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 the bulgur. The other vegetables often used for dolma are tomatoes, courgettes, onions, wine leaves and aubergines.

How to Make Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers (Biber Dolma)?

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

Prepare the aromatic rice filling – place a medium-size saucepan on low heat and add olive oil along with the pine nuts. Gently sauté the pine nuts until lightly golden, add the onions and cook until soft and translucent on low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the rice along with the blackcurrants and cook for few minutes. Add the lemon juice, ½ cup of water, cinnamon, freshly ground black pepper, paprika, dried mint, sugar, salt and tomato paste, stir to combine and cover the pan with a lid. Cook until the water evaporates, take the pan off the heat then add the parsley along with the dill. 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. Set aside until the filling is ready.

Stuff the peppers with filling 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 45 minutes or until the rice is soft.

Why not try this healthy and refreshing summer dish with some Summer Chickpea Salad or Tomato and Walnut Salad?

I hope you enjoy the process of making these delicious Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers as much as you enjoy eating them!🙂

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 45 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Servings 10 pieces

Ingredients

10 small Turkish bell peppers (or 5-6 large bell peppers)
3 tbsp good quality olive oil
30 g pine nuts
2 large onions (small diced)
30 g black currants
200 g short grain or pudding rice (1 cup)
60 ml lemon juice ¼ cup
½ cup water
½ TSP cinnamon
½ TSP freshly ground black pepper
1 TSP paprika
1 TSP dried mint
1 TSP sugar
½ tbsp salt
½ tbsp tomato paste
1 cup chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped dill
10 cherry tomatoes (for garnish)
1 TSP tomato paste diluted in 1 cup water (to cook the stuffed peppers)

Instructions

Place a medium-size saucepan on low heat and add olive oil along with the pine nuts.
Gently sauté the pine nuts until lightly golden then add the onions, cook until translucent on low heat stirring occasionally.
While the onions are gently cooking, prepare the peppers.
Cut off the stalks of the peppers gently and scoop out the seeds. Wash your peppers and lightly season with salt. Set aside until the filling is ready.
When the onions are soft and translucent, add the rice along with the blackcurrants, cook for few minutes.
Add the lemon juice, ½ cup of water, cinnamon, freshly ground black pepper, paprika, dried mint, sugar, salt and tomato paste, stir to combine and cover the pan with a lid.
Cook until the water evaporates, take the pan off the heat then add the parsley along with the dill. The rice shouldn't be fully cooked as it will continue cooking with the peppers.
Stir the mixture and let it cool down for 10 minutes before stuffing the peppers.
Fill 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 pan tightly.
Add the tomato paste diluted in water to the pan and cook for 45 minutes or until the peppers are cooked and the rice is soft.