Greek Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 25 mins

Total: 40 mins

Servings: 4 halves

Yield: 4 halves

Bring a little Mediterranean sunshine onto your dinner table with this simple Greek stuffed pepper recipe filled with some of the island’s favorite ingredients, olives and Greek olive oil, beef or lamb, tomatoes, feta cheese, and fresh thyme. These ingredients are bound together in the peppers with long-grain rice, white or brown for a nuttier taste. Greek stuffed peppers are the perfect all-in-one starter, or serve two halves for an entrée.

You can use any color bell pepper for this dish, but using ripe yellow peppers brings added sweetness and vibrant color to the dish. Where possible, use fresh ripe tomatoes for a more authentic flavor, but if not available, use canned.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped ripe plum tomatoes, or canned

• 8 ounces lean ground beef or lamb

• 1/4 cup red wine

• 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

• 1/2 cup cooked long-grain rice

• Kosher salt, to taste

• 2 medium bell peppers

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan to medium-hot, add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes, making sure the onion does not brown. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes more.

3. Tip the tomatoes into the pan and stir through the onions, cook for three minutes continually stirring until they start to break up; if using canned simply stir through.

4. Add the meat, wine, and thyme to the pan and stir well, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring to break up the meat. Once cooked, stir again, add the rice, and a little salt for taste.

5. Preheat the oven to 350F.

6. Cut the peppers into halves lengthwise. Pack together into an oven-proof baking dish and fill equally with the ground meat mixture. Cook in the center of the heated oven for 15 minutes, sprinkle over the crumbled feta evenly over each pepper, and return the dish to the oven for a further 25 to 30 minutes ensuring the peppers are heated throughout and the peppers soft but not falling apart. If the peppers start to collapse, reduce the heat of the oven.

7. Serve immediately with a light sprinkling of thyme and black pepper.

You Choose the Meat

In Greece, lamb is the more popular meat, but beef is also readily available. For authenticity, lamb works best; however, you will most certainly not be disappointed with ground beef. Buy lean to keep the dish from becoming greasy.

Recipe Tip

A bowl of juicy Greek olives, black or green, and crusty bread are delicious alongside the peppers. The peppers are also delicious cold, perfect for a summer lunch or picnic.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	322
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g	27%
Saturated Fat 8g	38%
Cholesterol 67mg	22%
Sodium 306mg	13%
Total Carbohydrate 11g	4%
Dietary Fiber 1g	5%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 19g
Vitamin C 44mg	222%
Calcium 136mg	10%
Iron 3mg	16%
Potassium 388mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.