These mediterranean stuffed peppers are filled with a tangy rice mixture that is bursting with flavour, they take only a few minutes to prepare, and they bake in the oven! Stuffed peppers are constantly a go-to dish for me because they’re one of the easiest vegetables to stuff, and the flavour after baking them is incredible! Let’s walk through how to make them.

Baked yellow, orange and red bell peppers, stuffed with a rice mixture, placed in a large enamel baking dish with tomato sauce on the bottom, garnished with finely chopped parsley.

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5-STAR READER REVIEW

“Tastiest stuffed pepper recipe ever! This will be In rotation for sure! This was probably the only time I was sad to not have a surplus of leftovers. Would have eaten this for days 🙂 ”

—Fatimah
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The stuffing for these peppers is inspired by my mother’s dolma recipe. Iraqi style dolma is a whole affair; it takes several hours and lots of planning to make it. But these stuffed peppers taste just like it, and are much easier to make! The result is a very juicy pepper, with a rice filling that you’ll want to keep eating.

As an Arab, I am used to stuffing many vegetables (like grape leaves, onions, and even cabbage), but bell peppers are the easiest and quickest ones to stuff. There’s not much knife work involved – simply carve out the top then use your fingers to get all the seeds out. The rice stuffing is where all the flavour comes in: it is tangy from the tomato paste and pomegranate molasses, with lots of umami. The final element is the easy tomato basting sauce.

A large yellow bell pepper, stuffed with a rice mixture and baked, served on a small white plate with a fork and a dollop of yogurt.

How to Make Stuffed Peppers, Step By Step

First, gather and measure your ingredients. Here are a few notes on ingredient substitutions.

Ingredients need for rice stuffed peppers, which include bell pepper, rice, onion, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, garlic, spices, salt, and olive oil.

For the stuffing:

  • White rice: preferably a medium grain rice like calrose but basmati rice will work as well.
  • Chopped onion, peppers, and garlic.
  • Spices: including salt, black pepper, seven spice (or substitute allspice) and cinnamon.
  • Tomato paste and pomegranate molasses: to replace the pomegranate molasses if you don’t have it, use lemon juice and a bit of sugar per the recipe notes.

For the Peppers and the Sauce:

  • Multi coloured bell peppers: you can use large ones or smaller ones, just ensure you adjust the amount (use more peppers if they’re small) to use up all the filling.
  • Chicken broth, water, tomato paste and pomegranate molasses make up the cooking sauce. You can use hot water with a bouillon cube or fresh chicken broth. You can also use vegetable broth to make this actually completely vegetarian.
A mixture of uncooked white rice, chopped onions, chopped peppers, tomato paste, spices and olive oil in a large stainless steel mixing bowl
A raw rice stuffing which includes rice, chopped onions and peppers, tomato paste and spices, in a large stainless steel bowl

Next, pre-heat the oven to 450F and start working on the filling. In a large bowl, mix together the washed and drained rice, the spices, chopped onions, garlic and peppers, as well as the olive oil, pomegranate molasses and tomato paste. Mix well until all the ingredients are well combined.

Large yellow, orange and red bell peppers that are hollowed out using a knife, placed in a large enamel baking pan.
Large yellow, orange and red bell peppers, hollowed out and stuffed with a rice mixture, placed in a large enamel baking dish

Next, prepare the peppers. Using a small knife, cut a circle around the stem of the pepper and then remove it. Use your fingers to then feel around inside the pepper and take out the seeds and the white membrane. Run the pepper under the tap water to get all the seeds out easily. Discard the stems.

Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture all the way to the top, leaving a few centimeters free. The rice will expand while cooking, and the stuffing will slightly bulge out of the peppers, but that’s okay. The more rice the better, for me! Place all the peppers in a 9×13 baking dish, or any size that will fit all of them.

Large yellow, orange and red bell peppers, hollowed out and stuffed with a rice mixture, placed in a large enamel baking dish and with a red tomato sauce on the bottom.
A large enamel baking dish covered with aluminum foil

The final step is to mix together the cooking sauce ingredients, then pour them over the peppers. Make sure you first spoon the sauce into each individual pepper until they’re full of sauce, then pour the rest of the sauce in the baking dish.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, uncover the peppers and baste each one with the sauce. Cover and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Then, check the rice for doneness. It should be very soft. Finally, bake the peppers uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes to get some charring on the top. Allow to rest for a few minutes, then serve!

Baked yellow, orange and red bell peppers, stuffed with a rice mixture, placed in a large enamel baking dish with tomato sauce on the bottom, garnished with finely chopped parsley.

Serving and Storage Suggestions

The peppers are delicious on their own, or with a dollop of plain yogurt. I sometimes serve them with Jajik (a cucumber and yogurt salad), or any side salad like my chopped Arabic salad.

Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and in the fridge, along with the juices. The juices are great for re-heating. To re-heat them, you can simply opt for the microwave, or you can place them in an oven dish and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until warmed through.

These peppers are also very freezer friendly. Simply place a few peppers in a freezer friendly dish, scoop some of the juices in there as well, then tightly cover or seal with foil and freeze for a few months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake for 30 minutes until hot.

A large yellow bell pepper, stuffed with a rice mixture and baked, served on a small white plate with a fork and a dollop of yogurt.

If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!

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Rice-Stuffed Mediterranean Peppers (Vegetarian)

Yield: 6 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
These easy vegetarian rice-stuffed peppers are bursting with flavor and are quick and easy to make. The end result is a juicy stuffed pepper, with soft, tangy rice full of umami. A must try for a quick yet super satisfying dinner.
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Ingredients
 

For the peppers:

  • 10 bell peppers, medium to large in size, multi-coloured

For the stuffing:

  • 2 cups white rice, medium grain (calrose) or basmati will work
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium pepper, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons tomato sauce, (passata)
  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, see notes for substitute
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon seven spice, or replace with allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce:

  • 1 cup tomato sauce, (passata)
  • 3 cups boiling water
  • 1 stock cube, vegetable or chicken
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses, or substitute 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the garnish:

  • 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Start by preheating the oven to 450F.
  • A raw rice stuffing which includes rice, chopped onions and peppers, tomato paste and spices, in a large stainless steel bowl
    Finely dice the onion, garlic and pepper for the stuffing. Mix all the stuffing ingredients together until well combined.
  • Large yellow, orange and red bell peppers that are hollowed out using a knife, placed in a large enamel baking pan.
    Wash and dry your peppers, then hollow them by creating a round cut around the stem and removing it. Remove the seeds and any extra membrane from the inside, using your fingers. You can also run the pepper under tap water to wash out any stray seeds.
  • Large yellow, orange and red bell peppers, hollowed out and stuffed with a rice mixture, placed in a large enamel baking dish
    Stuff each pepper with the stuffing most of the way through, leaving a few centimeters at the top. The rice will expand as it cooks and slightly bulge out of the peppers. Place the stuffed peppers in a 9×13 inch oven safe dish, or in a large dutch oven with a lid.
  • Large yellow, orange and red bell peppers, hollowed out and stuffed with a rice mixture, placed in a large enamel baking dish and with a red tomato sauce on the bottom.
    Mix all the sauce ingredients together and ensure the stock cube is dissolved by using hot water from the kettle. Pour the sauce into each pepper until its full, then pour the rest of the sauce on the base of the dish.
  • Baked yellow, orange and red bell peppers, stuffed with a rice mixture, placed in a large enamel baking dish with tomato sauce on the bottom.
    Cover the baking dish with foil tightly (or use a lid if using a dutch oven) and bake for 35 minutes. Then, uncover and baste each pepper with the cooking liquids. Cover and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Check the rice for doneness (it should be very soft). Uncover and bake for 5 additional minutes to get a bit of charring on the peppers and thicken the sauce.
  • A large yellow bell pepper, stuffed with a rice mixture and baked, served on a small white plate with a fork and a dollop of yogurt.
    Serve with a side salad, or a dollop of yogurt and enjoy!

Notes

  • If you don’t have pomegranate molasses, replace with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon sugar (mix together and add).
  • This dish is best made in a dutch oven or an oven safe dish that has a lid to allow the peppers to steam well. If using aluminium foil to cover, make sure you seal it well.
  • You may use smaller peppers, but you’ll need more peppers to use up all of the filling.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge. You can also freeze the peppers in an airtight container, then thaw in the fridge overnight and bake until hot.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 430kcal, Carbohydrates: 72g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 0.03mg, Sodium: 1379mg, Potassium: 743mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 7014IU, Vitamin C: 282mg, Calcium: 59mg, Iron: 2mg
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