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Stuffed pepper with Tomato sauce
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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. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Czech
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: easy dinner, ground meat, stuffed peppers
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Meat stuffing for peppers

  • 1 medium onion – finely diced
  • 2 tbsp of unsalted butter or oil
  • 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)
  • 2 tbsp of everything bagel spice
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup of uncooked rice
  • 4 clean bell peppers

Tomato sauce

  • 1 can of tomato paste (8oz)
  • 3 cups of warm beef stock
  • 1 jar jar of your favorite sauce
  • 1-2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
  • 2-3 tbsp of sugar

Spices

  • 10 balls of peppercorn
  • 5 balls of allspice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Meat 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Stuff your meat stuffing into your clean bell peppers. Fill about 2/3 full, 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. 
  • set aside

Tomato Sauce

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Add your lemon juice, and sugar to taste and stir. Let simmer for a second, and you are ready to serve.
    If you prefer less, add less lemon juice and sugar and taste. You can always add more but not the other way around.
  • 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.

Notes

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
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