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Closeup of a stuffed pepper.

Baked Stuffed Peppers Recipe (Punjene Paprike)

Aida
Scrumptious easy stuffed peppers (punjene paprike) you can find on any menu, from Montenegro to Slovenia.
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Serbian, Slovenian
Servings 5
Calories 181 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Pan Sauce:

  • 3 tomatoes skinned and diced
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 onion peeled and minced

Stuffing:

  • Oil
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 onion peeled and minced
  • 10 ounces ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon Vegeta or ½ bouillon cube, or salt to taste
  • Black pepper to taste
  • ½ cup rice
  • 9 bell peppers look for the smallest ones!, tops off, deseeded

Second sauce:

  • 3.5 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced, or 4-6 teaspoons dried
  • 2 cups water

Instructions
 

  • Pan Sauce: In a deep baking pan (or glass bakeware) combine tomato, garlic, and onion. Place in the oven and turn it on to 440°f (225°c). 
  • Stuffing: In a large pan heat oil over medium. Add garlic and onion and sweat. Add ground beef, seasonings, and simmer until meat is halfway done. Remove off heat. 
  • (Do parallel to step 2) In a small pot add rice and 1 to 1.5 cups of water. Cook on medium until rice is cooked halfway. Meanwhile, take the baking pan out of the oven and set aside. (Keep the oven on.) 
  • Add rice to the pan with meat. Stir until well integrated. 
  • Assembly: Stuff each pepper with a few tablespoons of stuffing until you reach the top of each pepper. (Peppers should be nicely stuffed, but not “exploding” with the filling.) Place peppers in the pan.
  • Second Sauce: In a pitcher combine tomato sauce, sugar, salt, parsley and 2 cups of water. Stir well. Pour evenly over the peppers in the pan. 
  • Bake peppers for 60-75 minutes, frequently turning the baking pan, as well as the peppers inside the pan. Serve warm. (Optionally) Add a dollop of sour cream on top.

Video

Notes

Music for the video was kindly provided by Croatian band Dječaci (www.djecaci.net).

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 5 servingsSodium: 1034mgCalcium: 46mgVitamin C: 293mgVitamin A: 7602IUSugar: 15gFiber: 7gPotassium: 803mgCholesterol: 1mgCalories: 181kcalTrans Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gFat: 1gProtein: 5gCarbohydrates: 37gIron: 2mg
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