Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
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The Stuffed Bell Pepper; a classic Russian family dish. The peppers have the same basic stuffing/meat mixture as Golubtsi, except these are easier and quicker to make. One stuffed bell pepper is a meal in itself.
Use both yellow and red bell peppers and arrange them on a platter when finished for are lovely and impressive presentation. As with golubtsi, serve these up with a dollop of sour cream.
Ingredients for Stuffed Bell Peppers:
2 1/2 cups cooked white rice
8 to 10 medium bell peppers (red or yellow)
1 to 1.3 lbs ground pork
1 lb ground turkey
2 eggs
4 medium carrots, grated
3 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup mushroom marinara
1 Tbsp salt for meat mixture
1 tsp salt for boiling water
2 Tbsp Vinegar
Podliva (Sauce) Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Oil
2 Carrots, grated
1 tsp Vegeta (or Mrs Dash, or similar seasoning)
1 Tbsp sour cream
3/4 cup mushroom marinara
3 cups reserved water from boiling the peppers
How to Make the Best Stuffed Bell Peppers:
Prepping the Peppers (that has a nice ring to it!):
1. Cut off the top of each pepper and clean out the junk inside.
2. Bring a large soup pot of water to a boil (at least 2/3 full). Add 2 Tbsp vinegar and 1 tsp salt.
3. Place all of the peppers in the pot. They should be mostly covered with water. Add more water if needed.
4. Cover peppers and bring to a boil. After 3 minutes, leave the lid on, turn off the heat and let peppers sit in the hot water while you prepare the rest of the recipe (they should be in there around 45 minutes). They need to sit in order to soften.
5. Be sure to Reserve 3 cups of water from the peppers.
Meat Mixture:
1. In a large skillet, heat 3 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter over medium/high heat.
2. Add 4 grated carrots and saute until soft.
3. Once they soften, add 3/4 cup mushroom marinara and saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
4. In a large bowl (I use my kitchenAid with paddle attachment for this) mix: pork, turkey and cooked rice.
5. Stir in 2 eggs, sautéed carrots and 1 tbsp Salt. Mix well.
Stuffing the Peppers:
1. By now, your peppers should have softened, reserve 3 cups water.
2. Drain the peppers and move them to a dry surface.
3. Fill each pepper full of meat mixture, don’t press it down, just fill it all the way
4. As you stuff your peppers, arrange them snuggly either in the same pot you used to cook the peppers or in a cast iron dutch oven.
Podliva (Sauce):
1. Heat 2 Tbsp canola oil. Saute 2 grated carrots with 1 tsp vegeta. Stir occassionally until carrots are soft.
2. Add 1 tbsp sour cream and 3/4 cup mushroom marinara. Saute another minute and remove from heat.
3. Pour Podliva over the top of each pepper and add 3 cups of reserved water from peppers.
Two Ways to Cook these:
1. If using the pot, bring to a light boil, then cover and simmer 40 minutes over medium heat.
2. If using a dutch oven (recommended method), cover and bake at 450˚ F for 20-25 minutes. When it bubbles, reduce heat to 350˚ F and bake 1 hour.
Serve with sour cream.
Notes:
These make excellent left-overs. Before re-heating, cut the pepper in half and spoon the podliva (juice) over each half.
You may have some leftover meat depending on the size of your peppers. Use any left-over meat for Katleti.
Also, you will have leftover marinara sauce.
Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for Stuffed Bell Peppers:
- 2 1/2 cups cooked white rice
- 8 to 10 medium bell peppers
- 1 to 1.3 lbs ground pork
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 eggs
- 4 medium carrots, grated
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup mushroom marinara
- 1 tbsp salt for meat mixture
- 1 tsp salt for boiling water
- 2 tbsp Vinegar
Podliva Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 2 Carrots, grated
- 1 tsp Mrs. Dash
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 3/4 cup mushroom marinara
- 3 cups reserved water from boiling the peppers
Instructions
-
Cut off the top of each pepper and clean out the junk inside.
-
Bring a large soup pot of water to a boil (at least 2/3 full). Add 2 tbsp vinegar and 1 tsp salt.
-
Place all of the peppers in the pot. They should be mostly covered with water. Add more water if needed.
-
Cover peppers and bring to a boil. After 3 minutes, leave the lid on, turn off the heat and let peppers sit in the hot water while you prepare the rest of the recipe (they should be in there around 45 minutes). They need to sit in order to soften.
-
Be sure to Reserve 3 cups of water from the peppers.
Meat Mixture:
-
In a large skillet, heat 3 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter over medium/high heat.
-
Add 4 grated carrots and saute until soft. Once they soften, 3/4 cup mushroom marinara and saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
-
In a large bowl (I use my kitchen Aid with paddle attachment for this) mix: pork, turkey and cooked rice.
-
Stir in 2 eggs, sautéed carrots and 1 tbsp Salt. Mix well.
Stuffing the Peppers:
-
By now, your peppers should have softened, reserve 3 cups water.
-
Drain the peppers and move them to a dry surface.
-
Fill each pepper full of meat mixture, don't press it down, just fill it all the way
-
As you stuff your peppers, arrange them snuggly either in the same pot you used to cook the peppers or in a cast iron dutch oven.
Podliva (Sauce):
-
Heat 2 tbsp canola oil. Saute 2 grated carrots with 1 tsp Mrs. Dash. Stir occasionally until carrots are soft.
-
Add 1 tbsp sour cream and 3/4 cup mushroom marinara. Saute another minute and remove from heat.
-
Pour Podliva over the top of each pepper and add 3 cups of reserved water from peppers.
Two Ways to Cook these:
-
If using the pot, bring to a light boil, then cover and simmer 40 minutes over medium heat.
-
If using a dutch oven (recommended method), cover and bake at 450°F for 20-25 minutes. When it bubbles, reduce heat to 350°F and bake 1 hour.
Serve with sour cream.
Recipe Notes
These make excellent left-overs. Before re-heating, cut the pepper in half and spoon the podliva (juice) over each half. You may have some leftover meat depending on the size of your peppers. Use any left-over meat for Katleti.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi My favourite go to Recipe girl!!!
Is it possible for you to do a video on the stuffed peppers
I am dying to try them it’s just I follow video better than words I think I read into it to much lol
Thanks
Hi Tara, good to hear that this is your new go-to recipe! Thanks for your suggestion, I’ll try to add that to our list.
Hi Natasha, I would love to see a video of this recipe. I have never made stuffed peppers. Thanks
Thank you so much for that suggestion, Isabelle!
Hi Natasha. I don’t have a dutch oven but I have a heavy duty stainless steel pot that is oven safe. Would that work instead of dutch oven? I want to cook it in the oven. I haven’t tried this recipe yet.
Hi Christina, if its oven-safe and has a heavy bottom I bet that could work! I would love to know how you like this recipe!
Have you tried making this in an instant pot??
Hi Christina, I have not tested this in an instant pot to advise but I bet it may work! If you experiment, please let me know how you like it.
It turned out sooooo good. I did add parsley into the stuffing mix to add an element of freshness, and a sautéed onion for flavor but otherwise… mmmm. Thank you for the recipe!
Nice to know that Lena. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Could I half this recipe?
Hi Olga, yes this would work well to cut the recipe in half.
Hey Natasha, can I use mini bell peppers instead? How would the timing change? I want to make them for a appetizer for a party.
Bake time may be slightly less but should take a good amount of it!
Do you reheat by microwaving them?
Hi Olga, you can reheat in the microwave or in the oven. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha,
I am not a fan of mushrooms. Are there bits of them in the Mariana sauce? If so could I use just regular Mariana sauce?
Hi Olga, you definitely can use a plain marinara sauce without mushroom.
Best sauce ever. I never bought mushroom marinara before and didn’t know how it tastes. So happy I tried it. It’s sooo good for stuffed peppers. And bet, for cabbage rolls too. Overall the recipe is wonderful. The only change I made was I added a little bit of sweet Italian sausage. Very flavorful and delicious. Thank you Natasha!
I’m so happy to hear that! You’re welcome & Thank you for sharing your great review!
First time making these and they turned out amazing.thank you for the confidence boost.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Anna!
I am stuck on the reserved water part. Does the reserved water just go in the bottom of the pot?
Hi, Rachel, the reserved water is added in step 3 of the Podliva (Sauce). “3. Pour Podliva over the top of each pepper and add 3 cups of reserved water from peppers.” I hope that helps!
I have made this receipe a couple of times and everyone loves it. Actually, I substituted the ground beef for Quorn Grounds to make it vegetarian. I served this dish to my father in law, who grew up in Russia. He loved it and said that it tasted just like his mom’s, whom from what I have always heard was a magnificent cook. Thank you for keeping the flavors authentic.
I’m so inspired reading your review. Thank you, Janette!
Hi Natasha 😊
If I were to use mini bell peppers would bake time be any different?
Thanks!
Hi Inna. Bake time may be slightly less but should take a good amount of it!
Hi Natasha!
You’re recipes are wonderful. I’ve been learning how to be a good Russian mom (like my mom) from your recipes.
I only have ground veal in the freezer. You think that would work for this recipe?
Hi Elaina! Although I have tried this with veal myself, I think it could work! Please let me know how you like it if you experiment!
Hi. How can I freeze these? Also can I cook them in a slow cooker? (If I cook them in a slow cooker, should I freeze them raw?) Thank you in advance!
Hi Alena, these do freeze well after they are cooked. One of my readers reported using a slow cooker, setting it on low and after a days work, it was done. I don’t have any more specific info on that though. If you test it out, let me know how it goes 🙂
Natasha, I made stuffed peppers and stuffed cabbage in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours and they were just delicious. Thank you for the recipe and marinara was a good choice instead of tomato sauce. Just fyi..
Thank you for sharing that with us!
Can I do a mix of beef and turkey instead of pork?
Hi M, that should still work. Beef and turkey are both leaner meats than ground pork, but it should still work well.
Quick question, I’ve prepped these before ahead of time to bake a few hours later… but I’m wondering do you know if it would make much of a difference to prep them 2-3 days in advance and then just pour over the sauce and bake when ready to serve? Keeping them refrigerated of course.
HI Olga, That would work if you wanted to make them ahead. They also keep well after they are baked and reheat well if you wanted to bake them earlier and then reheat before serving.
Hey natasha! I’m trying to figure out if the rice here is already cooked 2 1/2 cups or have uncooked 2 1/2 cups and cook them
Hi Rebecca, the recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of COOKED rice so after it is cooked, it should measure 2 1/2 cups. 🙂 I hope you love the recipe!
Natasha, I bumped into you recipe and thought I should try it. I have made it before without mashroom marinara and want to try your recipe as it sounds tasty. But I have a question. The last two steps:
4. In a large bowl mix: pork, turkey and rice.
5. Stir in 2 eggs, cooked rice, sautéed carrots and 1 tbsp Salt.
In the 4th step do you mean raw pork and turkey? Rice also uncooked?
In the 5th step, when you state to add cooked rice, do you mean another cup of rice or do you mean the rice with the meat mixture from step 4?
I got confused since we add rice in step 4 and 5 too. Pleas clarify?
Thank you!
Thank you for asking – that was my mistake! You only add cooked white rice once and yes the meat is raw, but the rice is cooked. I updated the recipe to clarify. Thanks again!
I have a question, do you bake them with the lid on??
Yes, sorry that wasn’t clear. Cover whether it is on the stovetop or in the oven. I added a note to clarify.
Thank you
I’ve checked the recipe over and over and the ingredient lists spaghetti sauce, which never gets used in the directions. Spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce are different and the only thing that’s mentioned is the tomato sauce in the directions, am I missing something? Thank you!
I apologize. This was one of the first recipes I ever posted and it definitely needed a little clarification. Any reference to tomato sauce is referring to marinara sauce. I have fixed that to clarify.
Thank you for such a prompt answer! I’ll be making this tonight 🙂
Just a suggestion for the Podliva; My moms stuffed peppers are the best. She sautes onion & carrots, then adds heavy whipping cream, a little sweet and sour sauce and spices of course. They turn out very juicy and delicious.
That DOES sound really good and creamy! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Thank you for the recipe, I’ll be making it tonight! What kind of vinegar do you use?
Just regular white vinegar with 5% acidity.
These are cooking right now. I’ve made them so many times, I’ve lost count. They are so good and my husband loves them, which is a huge plus. He’s my food critic. 🙂
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Any idea why my bell peppers turned out very very soft/mushy after letting them sit in the water for 40 mins?
Did you add vinegar to the water in step 2?
What would you advise to substitute the mushroom sause with?
I am missing this single ingridient(
Any other spaghetti sauce should work.
I never precook them and they always come out delicious Also for veggie version Trader Joe’s soy chorizzo with white rice is perfect Even better than with meat
This is one of our family favorite recipies. I am making them in a crockpot/slowcooker. First I make the stuffing – almost cooked rice and similar to your onion/carrot/meat saute. Then I fill raw peppers. Splace them all in a slow cooker. I prepare everything the night before and stick the slowcooker with peppers in refrigerator. Start slowcooker on “low” in the morning and the whole house smells wonderful when we all come home after work – dinner is served…
That’s brilliant! I love that idea!
Is a dutch oven kinda like a kozanok?
Hi Tanya – yes, a dutch oven is like a kozanok. It’s a cast iron (very heavy metal) pot
Natasha,
the ingridients call for a can of mushroom spaghetti sauce, but do you mix it with the meat? or do you put it in podliva? i am thinking you forgot to mention it in the prep. recipe..
You mix 1/4 of the can into the meat and 3/4 cup into the podliva. It’s in the meat mixture and podliva sections. I am making 1 change, where it says to pack the meat in, it will now say: 3. Fill each pepper full of meat mixture, don’t press it down, just fill it all the way.
There is also a new link at the bottom for a printer friendly version.
We are seeing these all over Greece (where we’re at now)! Stuffed peppers and stuffed tomatoes. Yum.
Stuffed tomatoes? That sounds pretty good. Too bad tomato season is kind of over 🙁 I’ll have to remember that for next year.
Hi Natasha,
I really like your photos for this recipe! I also have a question about pre-cooking the peppers before stuffing them. Do you find that the peppers remain too firm if you don’t pre-cook them? I don’t pre-cook my peppers and I actually seem to have the opposite problem – after about 45 minutes of simmering in tomato sauce, the peppers often get so soft that they start to fall apart.
I haven’t tried it the other way. I learned to make these from my mom and my husbands mom. Both said the same thing; to pre-cook them so they aren’t too firm. I used the baking method in a dutch oven and they came out just right. My mom made these on the stove this week and they were very good as well. I’m not sure if that helps. How do you cook your peppers? Do you pack your peppers or do you fill them loosely – I find packing them helps to keep their shape. Also, what is in your sauce – do you use reserved water?
I do pack the filling in pretty tightly… I simmer the peppers on the stove top – have never tried baking them. My sauce is a mixture of tomato paste, water, sauteed onions, sauteed carrots, and seasonings (usually just salt and pepper, sometimes with a bay leaf or two thrown in). When I make vegetarian stuffed peppers, it’s not an issue because the filling is already cooked, so I just simmer them until the pepper is as tender as I want it to be. However, meat-filled peppers have to be cooked longer in order for the meat to cook through, and that’s where I often have a problem. My best bet would probably be to try to find smaller peppers – they hold less filling and as a result don’t need to cook for as long as the large ones. However, most peppers sold in US supermarkets are giant!
Sorry, I don’t know what the problem could be?? The only smaller peppers I can think of are the ones sold in costco by the bag. Those would probably be fun to make, but more of a pain to prep so many little peppers.
(grump, grump – caught in moderation – grump grump)
Sounds wonderful. And bless you for not using green bell peppers (not that it would stop me from substituting red or yellow for green anyway).
What would you suggest for a vegetarian version? Maybe a lentil and wild rice mix for the meat?
I’ve never made these vegetarian, but it sounds like a good experiment. I might also add sauteed onion and mushrooms to add more flavor.
Maybe mushroom and wild rice. Or mushroom and rice noodles (I learned from Russians who came through Harbin).
At church when we cooked a lunch we always had to make about 15 servings for vegetarians. And, during fasting periods, everything was vegetarian.
That sounds like the filling for my eggrolls (minus the pork ofcourse)
I often make a veggie version of stuffed peppers and I use cooked rice mixed with lots of sauteed onions and carrots as the filling. I like to add a bit of spice, too – usually garam masala (not Russian, I know!) or just some cloves.
Thank you for sharing!
Yes I agree my mom makes them vegetarian and uses rice and mushrooms and onions. So delicious!
ymmmmm