Punjene Paprike
Stuffed peppers are a staple dish in Croatian cuisine, found especially in Slavonia and the country's northern regions, where sweet peppers are grown abundantly. It is a family dish par excellence, often cooked on Sundays or for special occasions, when a large pot of stuffed peppers easily feeds several generations gathered around the same table. While variations of stuffed peppers exist throughout Central and Southeastern Europe, the Croatian version stands out for the balance between fatty pork and beef, as well as the thick, almost sweet tomato sauce in which the peppers simmer for a long time. The recipe is often passed down unchanged from grandparents to grandchildren, considered a comfort food dear to the heart.
Sweet bell peppers
Meaty, sweet peppers are stuffed whole with meat and rice.
Ground meat filling
A mix of beef and pork, seasoned with paprika and parsley.
Rich tomato sauce
The peppers simmer in a thick tomato sauce for a long time.
Rice as a binder
The rice in the filling absorbs the juices and binds the mixture.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 8 bell peppers, red or yellow
- 500g ground beef and pork
- 100g round-grain rice
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 2 tbsp sweet paprika
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 700g crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to make it
- 1Cut off the tops of the peppers and remove the seeds and white membranes inside, being careful to keep them whole.
- 2In a bowl, mix the ground meat with the raw rice, onion, paprika, parsley, salt and pepper, until you get a homogeneous mixture.
- 3Stuff the peppers with this mixture, without packing it too tightly, leaving a little room for the rice to expand as it cooks.
- 4Stand the stuffed peppers upright in a larger pot, packed closely together.
- 5Pour the crushed tomatoes mixed with the tomato paste over the peppers, adding enough water to cover them halfway.
- 6Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for about an hour and a half, until the rice and meat are fully cooked through.
- 7Taste the sauce and adjust with salt, then serve the peppers hot, generously drizzled with sauce.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
