Stuffed pepper with Tomato sauce

Traditional Czech Stuffed pepper with tomato sauce is one of the classic recipes. There are many different recipes and variations of this dish, and this one is by far the easiest and one of the tastiest. I am all about simple and easy. We call it “Plnena Paprika”. Plnená Paprika is a bell pepper stuffed with the general ground beef and rice and then simmered in a tomato sauce. It simmers until the meat is cooked and the pepper is soft. These are traditionally served up with Czech dumplings. 

This dish is common in Czech families and schools. When I was in elementary school and attended the school cafeteria, I liked one of the dishes. (Czech school cafeteria is nothing like USA school cafeteria!!!) This dish was served almost every week because it is easy to prepare and easily affordable. The variation would be stuffed pepper or a piece of beef meat. This Dish is also naturally Gluten-Free unless you serve with a non-gluten-free side or thicken the sauce with flour.

Traditional Czech Tomato sauce

Classic tomato sauce in Czech is called “Rajská.” The name comes from the name we call tomatoes – “Rajská Jablíčka.” You probably will like the translation – “Apples from Eden.” What a fancy name, right? We do have a short name, and that is “Rajče.”

I changed the sauce a bit to please my American side of the family. The Czech original is a bit boring to them, as they like tomato pieces in the sauce. The Czech version is silky smooth, and no lumps or tomato pieces in the sauce. You need good beef stock, onion, tomato paste, spices and finish up with a little bit of sugar and lemon. It is one of the easiest sauces. Check this recipe by Kristyna Koutna (Czechcookbook.com.) It is delicious!!!! The picture is Kristyna’s as well.

Lets get Cooking

I made these stuffed peppers with Half-pound of ground turkey and half-pound pork, rice, and spices. You can use any meat you like. Mix half-pound of ground pork and half-pound of beef works great as well. I am not using traditional green pepper but substituting little red, yellow, and orange bell pepper.

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Stuffing for peppers

Start with onion. I like onion finely diced. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the onion until translucent. You can add raw onion into your stuffing, but cooked onion does bring a stronger flavor to your meat.

• 1 medium onion – finely diced
• 2 tbsp of unsalted butter or oil

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What type of meat is best?

It is all about your preference. There is no “best meat” for this recipe. I usually use what I have on hand. The most flavorful would be pork and beef, but I also love poultry. If you do use beef, I personally buy lean beef only. If you buy high-fat meat and the meat cooks, the fat cooks out and makes a greasy mess. I am not a fan of a fatty meal. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meat with spices, minced garlic, and an egg. I use only pepper and salt, and of course, I always use everything bagel spice when I work with ground meat – Everything bagel spice brings more roasted onion flavor, which I like. Mix well by hand or fork.

• 1 pound of meat – in my case, 1/2 pound of ground pork and 1/2 pound of ground turkey
• 2 tsp of salt ( or to your taste)
• 1 tsp of pepper (or to your taste)
• 1 tbsp of everything bagel spice
• 2 garlic cloves – minced
• 1 egg

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Add rice and cooked onion to your mixed meat. Some recipes do call for cooked rice, but I never had a problem with uncooked rice in my recipe coming out undercook.

You can make this recipe in an Instant pot or dutch oven, and It always comes out perfect. I bet you can even use a slow cooker.

• 1 cup of uncooked rice

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What is the best pepper?

Like I already said, the traditional Czech recipe use green peppers. I am not using the traditional green pepper pictured above. I always use sweet bell peppers. The sweet flavor of red peppers is lovely in this recipe! You can also use yellow or orange peppers; however, I don’t recommend green bell peppers – they tend to be bitter.  You can even use this recipe with mini bell peppers!

Wash the peppers thoroughly. Make a circular incision around the stem and remove it. Scoop out all the seeds and the inner white part. The white part contains flavin, which can cause stomach aches and tastes bitter.

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Stuff your meat stuffing into your clean bell peppers. Fill about below the rim, as the rice will expand a bit, and the pepper will get fuller. Put your tops from bell peppers over your stuffing and secure with toothpicks or string. If you have any meat left, make small meatballs for those picky eaters who do not like the taste of cook pepper. -> aca, my kids!!!

Set asside, while you prep for sauce.

• 4 clean bell peppers

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Tomato Sauce

If you would like to make the Classic tomato sauce recipe, follow Kristyna’s blog, which I posted above. Here is a sauce the way my family likes it. It is very similar, but at the same time very different.

I like to make my peppers in an Instant pot. If you make it in a dutch oven, make it longer, till you are sure, rice is fully cooked. I make it between 45-60 minutes, covered in a dutch oven. I take a meatball out to check if it’s finished or not.

Grab a pot of your choice and add a can of tomato paste. Pour in “warm” beef stock. Warm beef stock will make it easier to stir tomato paste in. Add your favorite tomato sauce.

• 1 can of tomato paste (8oz)
• 3 cups of warm beef stock
• 1 jar of your favorite sauce

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Cooking peppers

Gently add your peppers into a pot. They should be keeping each other standing up. You do not want to lay down the pepper; otherwise, all stuffing will spill out. I always make a couple of meatballs for my kids and add them to empty spots in-between my bell peppers. I always add as many meatballs as I can fit in. You see only a couple of meatballs at the top, but there are many more. Do not forget to add spices into your spice container and add to the sauce. That’s where the flavor will come from as well.

Tip: if your peppers are not standing up, cut little the bottom of pepper a little to make it flat.

Spices

Spices for your spice ball

• 10 balls of peppercorn
• 5 balls of all spice
• 2 bay leaves

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If you are using Instant Pot, close the lid, set on the seal, and set a timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, let sit for another 30 minutes to release the steam naturally.

Suppose you are using a dutch oven or a pot. Simmer your peppers on low heat covered with a lid for 45-60 minutes or till your rice gets fully cooked.

Tip: If you do not have Induction cook top, I would not recommend leaving your instant pot on your cook top!!!!

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Finishing your sauce

To finish your sauce, take out all your peppers and if you made meatballs. Fish out your spice ball. You put all spices into a spice ball. That way, they do not swim in a sauce, and you do not have to look for every peppercorn and ball of allspice. My pot was so full that I could not fit my regular spice ball in. I then helped myself with a gadget to hold loose tea. It is skinnier, and I could fit it in.

I transfer my sauce into a smaller pot, but that is optional. You can Finnish your sauce in Instant Pot on a saute setting. You can use emerge mixer and make your sauce very smooth, but that is not needed. My family loves the pieces of tomato and meat in the sauce.

Add your lemon juice, and sugar to taste and stir. Let simmer for second and you are ready to serve.

I would recommend add less lemon juice and sugar and taste. You can always add more but not the other way around. At the end I usually end on 2 Tbsp of lemon juice and 3 tbsp of sugar.

• 1-2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
• 2-3 tbsp of sugar

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Coking tips:

• Make-ahead leftover: stuffed peppers can freeze stuffed peppers, and they are a great make-ahead meal!
• To Freeze Stuffed Peppers prepare and bake as directed above. I recommend freezing sauce and pepper separately. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through or on the stove.
• As with every recipe – don’t worry if you don’t have the exact ingredients. Cooking a delicious meal is like everything else. The magic happens in the journey. The result was delicious.
• If you feel that your sauce is too thin, you can always mix a1 tbsp of corn starch or gluten-free flour in 3 tbsps of water and pour it in. I have to warn you that this will change a bit on flavor. I rather cook out the liquid a bit than adding flour.
• You can use vinegar instead of lemon

How To Serve your stuffed peppers

This easy dinner recipe is delicious on its own! We traditionally serve this with bread dumplings or bacon dumplings in Czech. The easiest way is to serve with rice or even with Gluten-Free pasta.

Hopefully, you won’t find this recipe too difficult. When you make something for the first time, it always feels hard, but you will become a pro as you make recipes more often. As with every recipe – don’t worry if you don’t have the exact ingredients. Cooking a delicious meal is like everything else. The magic happens in the journey. The result was delicious.

Who inspired me?

Suppose you wonder who inspired this delicious recipe. You can find it in one of my Czech cookbooks, “Velká kuchařka Čech a Moravy – Roman Vaněk.” This cookbook is something like a Czech cooking bible. It is full of Traditional Czech recipes. Every recipe I had made so far turned out perfect and delicious.

I hope you did enjoy this Gluten-Free recipe. If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment please. Thank you so much!

Other easy recipes to try

• Orange Chicken Everybody’s favorite take-out meal made at home.
• Easy to make Bacon Dumplings The perfect Gluten-Free side dish to go with Stuffed Peppers.
• Swedish Meatballs Do you have a craving for “Ikea” meatballs? These are even better and can be done in under 30 minutes!!!!

Until next time…!

DOBROU CHUT!

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