Stuffed peppers reinvented: A culinary tradition explored
Stuffed peppers with meat, served with a simple tomato sauce, are a staple in Czech homes. Baked vegetables without cheese or béchamel are delicious and light and filling. With the addition of tomatoes, they resemble Polish stuffed cabbage rolls.
A few vegetables can't be hollowed out, stuffed, and baked in the oven. Peppers are an obvious choice, but stuffed mushrooms, courgettes, aubergines, potatoes, and onions can be just as delicious. In pre-war cuisine, stuffed celery was also very popular.
Inspiration for stuffed vegetables
The best thing about stuffed vegetables is that you can use either a meat or vegetarian filling. The dish varies with different additions and tastes different each time, so it never gets boring. Peppers with rice and meat are a classic, but it's also worth trying courgettes with vegetables and feta or aubergines with buckwheat and tomatoes.
Larger portions of stuffed vegetables can successfully replace the main course. Meanwhile, smaller vegetables like mushrooms with spinach and ricotta or tomatoes with tuna are perfect as an appetiser or snack for evening gatherings. You can serve not only tomato sauce with stuffed peppers and other vegetables, but also a lighter dill sauce or cold sauces based on Greek yoghurt and mayonnaise.
Recipe for stuffed peppers with tomato sauce
You can stuff peppers in two ways: cut off the top and hollow out the insides, or cut them in half to create more, smaller portions.
Ingredients:
- 4 large peppers,
- 110 grams of rice,
- 2 onions,
- 450 grams of minced meat – preferably pork and beef,
- 2 tablespoons of butter,
- 3 garlic cloves,
- tomato passata,
- a pinch of sugar,
- salt and pepper to taste,
- ground paprika,
- chopped parsley for garnish.
Instructions:
- Cut off the tops of the peppers (stem side) and remove the seeds. Please place them in a baking dish.
- Cook the rice according to the package instructions.
- In a pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and sauté 1 finely chopped onion until translucent. Add the minced meat, mix with the onion, and season with salt, pepper, and ground paprika.
- Combine the meat mixture with the cooked rice. Stuff the prepared peppers with this filling. Place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan again and sauté the second finely chopped onion. Add garlic sliced into thin pieces. Once they become fragrant, pour in the tomato passata. Season with a pinch of sugar, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Heat over low heat until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
- Remove the peppers from the oven and pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
