Best part, you can prepare these ahead of time! Be sure to check out all the tips along with the step-by-step tutorial and video below.
Stuffed vegetables for the win!
We’re obsessed with stuffing all the vegetables around here from Greek and Spanish-style stuffed tomatoes to eggplant, grape leaves, and even stuffed squash! In fact, stuffed vegetables are their very own class within Greek and Mediterranean cooking. In Greece, they are called gemista or yemista (γεμιστά), which means things that are filled. And in the Middle East, they’re called mahshi, which literally means stuffed! My mom’s signature Greek stuffed peppers recipe is one of those comfort foods I have always loved, and I’ve added my own twist on her recipe.
About this stuffed peppers recipe
These stuffed bell peppers are dairy free and gluten free. They are delicious and totally hit all the right flavor notes for me. And it all comes down to two things: the tasty Greek-style stuffing and how you prepare the bell peppers. The stuffing or filling mixture is dairy free and gluten free made of well-seasoned meat mixture with rice, chickpeas, and fresh parsley. For spices, I used a combination of allspice, sweet paprika and garlic powder (although 2 minced garlic cloves do the job, if you don’t have all-natural garlic powder). For this recipe I do cook this meat mixture first before stuffing the peppers. The bell peppers. I use a variety of mild peppers here–green, red, and yellow. They do not all taste the same. Green peppers are a bit more on the savory/bitter side while red peppers tend to be sweeter. Choose what you like. For a Greek style bell peppers recipe, here is how you prepare the peppers:
Core the peppers but leave them whole. Lay each pepper on its side and cut only the top part where the stem is. Cook the peppers well until tender. In Greek style stuffed peppers (and throughout the Mediterranean) the peppers must be cooked until fully tender, they can not be crunchy or taste raw in any way. To accomplish this, before they’re stuffed, grill the peppers for a few minutes (gas grill or indoor griddle will work) until they gain a nice char all around (great flavor)! Then, once stuffed, the peppers finish cooking in the oven, covered. A little bit of liquid in the baking dish creates some steam that cooks the peppers until they are nice and super tender.
Ingredients
Extra virgin olive oil- I used Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil Onion- 1 small yellow onion is sauteed in extra virgin olive oil to begin making the meat mixture for the stuffing. Ground beef– 1/2 pound of lean ground beef (you can also use ground turkey or ground chicken). The meat will be fully browned or cooked before using in the stuffing. Spices- 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 minced garlic cloves) 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika, kosher salt and black pepper to taste. The spices are used at different times in creating the stuffing or the meat and rice mixture that we use to fill the bell peppers Chickpeas- 1 cup of already cooked chickpeas (or from can). Rice– 1 cup of white rice. Tip: wash the rice well and let it soak in plenty of water for 20 to 30 minutes or until you are able to break one grain of rice easily. This helps cook the rice quickly and evenly. Parsley- 1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped (Or a mixture of chopped fresh parsley and fresh dill) Liquid: Tomato sauce and water- in order for the rice to cook well with the ground meat and chickpeas, you will need some liquid. 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 2 1/2 cups of water provides that. The tomato sauce adds more of umami and a subtle color to the stuffing mixture, so don’t skip it if you can. You can also use 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes from a can in place of the tomato sauce, if you like. Bell peppers- 6 large bell peppers, any color you choose. Like I mentioned earlier, you only need to remove the stem and the seeds, leaving the actual peppers pretty much whole. Broth- A little more liquid is needed to bake the peppers once stuffed. I like to use 3/4 cup of broth or water in the baking dish.
How to Make Stuffed Peppers
Do you have to cook the meat before stuffing the peppers?
For this recipe, I do like to cook the meat before hand. And you’ll notice, the entire stuffing mixture of meat, rice and chickpeas is fully cooked before adding to the stuffed bell peppers. This is really a fool-proof way that ensures the stuffing is cooked well and evenly and reduces the risk of having it be under-cooked or too mushy. Guide for how to make these Greek-style stuffed peppers (print-friendly recipe below)
Variations
You can totally make this recipe your own. Here are a few variations you can try on this Greek stuffed peppers recipe:
Change up the meat. If you like, replace ground beef with ground chicken or turkey. Adjust seasoning to your taste Need a vegetarian stuffed peppers option? Omit the meat all together. Cook the onions, chickpeas and rice the same way but without the meat! (Or try my vegetarian stuffed peppers with orzo and basil vinaigrette) Change up the herbs and seasoning. Instead of using just parsley, use a bit of parsley and fresh dill. And in place of allspice, you can try a little ground cumin or even Italian seasoning. Always taste the cooked stuffing mixture and adjust seasoning to your liking. Add cheese! This is a diary-free recipe, but if you’re in the mood for cheese, a little crumbled feta for garnish just before serving will work.
For another meaty stuffed pepper recipe, don’t miss our Italian Stuffed Peppers. Every bit as hearty and delicious as this Greek version!
Make ahead option
You can work on this recipe one night ahead. You can prepare and cook the stuffing fully (that’s the meat, rice and chickpea mixture) and you can also core and grill the bell peppers. Let everything cool and store each separately in the fridge. The next day, proceed with the recipe and stuff and assemble the bell peppers for baking. It helps to bring things to room temperature in preparation for baking, but that’s optional.
Can you freeze stuffed peppers?
If you end up with leftovers, you can freeze these dairy free stuffed peppers. First, be sure to cool the stuffed peppers completely. You can portion them in freezer-safe containers and freeze for 1 to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and warm up in a medium-heated oven (it helps to add a little bit of liquid to your baking dish, and cover the peppers before placing in oven.)
What to serve with stuffed bell peppers?
To serve this stuffed peppers recipe as a main course, plan on 1 bell pepper per person with sides like Greek tzatziki, Greek salad, or this Black Bean and Corn Salad! As a side, you can plan on 1/2 bell pepper per person next to proteins like lemon chicken drumsticks, baked cornish hen, or slow cooker lamb.
Watch the video for this recipe:
Check out our collection of Mediterranean diet recipes. For all recipes, visit us here. JOIN MY FREE E-MAIL LIST HERE. SHOP OUR ONLINE STORE FOR QUALITY OLIVE OILS, ALL-NATURAL SPICES AND MORE. *This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2018 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit. 4.8 from 66 reviews
