Stuffed peppers are a beloved dish across many cultures. The basic concept—hollowing out a pepper and filling it with a savoury mixture—provides a canvas for endless creativity. This is my Mama's recipe for Slovenian Stuffed Peppers, the focus is on simple, fresh ingredients and a harmonious balance of flavours. Let's get started!
(VIDEO) Follow my step by step video tutorial here: https://youtu.be/Azt2KjdrrCo?si=v2p1eMi72gNceDGZ
Ingredients for Sauce
- 1/3 cup oil (to fry onions and garlic)
- 1 cup diced onions
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup of oil (to make the sauce)
- 6-7 Tbsp's All Purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 3 tsp of tomato paste
- 2 litres of boiling water
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp vegeta (optional)
- 1 beef bouillon cube (optional)
- salt & pepper to taste
Meat stuffing/filling
- 6-8 Bell peppers
- 2 pounds of ground meat (beef, veal and/or pork; any combination)
- 2 cups (partially cooked) arborio rice
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 3 Tbsp's onions + 1 minced garlic, fried together until golden brown
- 1 tsp paprika
- salt & pepper to taste
Directions
- Rinse the peppers. Remove the top of the peppers, clean the inside by removing the seeds and membrane. Reserve the tops to place back on the peppers after they are stuffed.
- Place a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Add all the the cleaned peppers to the pot of boiling water and boil for about 2 minutes. Remove the peppers from the boiling water and set them aside to cool down.
- Place 1/3 cup of oil into a frying pan over low to medium heat. Fry 1 cup of diced onions. Once the onions are translucent , add 2 minced garlic cloves. Mix. Fry until garlic is fragrant, another 45 seconds. Set aside.
- In a large pot, add 1/3 cup of oil over medium heat, add in 6-7 tablespoons of flour. Mix and fry until the flour becomes a nice light golden brown colour. Add in 1 tablespoon of paprika. Next, add in 3 tsp's tomato paste. Mix well. Add in approximately 2 litres of boiling hot water. (*add enough hot water to make sure all peppers can be covered). Add the fried onions and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, vegeta (optional), beef bouillon cube (optional). Bring the temparature down to low and allow to simmer slowly, mixing often.
- In a small frying pan add 1 Tbsp of oil, fry 3 Tbsp's onions until translucent. Add in 1 minced garlic clove. Mix. Fry until lighly golden brown. Set aside to use in next step.
- In a large bowl mix together; ground meat, 2 cups (partially cooked) arborio rice, 2 eggs, 3 Tbsp's (fried) onions and 1 minced garlic, 1 tsp paprika, salt & pepper to taste. Mix until well combined.
- Stuff all the peppers. Place the tops of the peppers back onto the stuffed peppers. Place the peppers into the large pot of sauce. Making sure the peppers are completely covered with the sauce. *If not, add more boiling water. Allow to simmer on low for about 45 minutes to an hour.
- Taste the sauce, adjust with seasoning if needed. Serve over pillowy mashed potatoes. Dober tek!
I want to see your delicious photos!
If you make this recipe, I'd love to see your pictures so please don't forget to tag me on Facebook and Instagram! Hashtag your photos #sloveniankitchen or @slovenska_kuhinja so I can see them!
Lots of love,