These stuffed bell peppers with Lebanese spices are filled with beef and rice then cooked in a garlic and mint infused tomato broth.
Stuffed vegetables are extremely common in Syrian and Lebanese cuisine, and for good reason! They keep vegetables on the center stage of the dinner plate, they allow you to stretch your food budget by using less meat, and they are full of flavor! For these Stuffed Bell Peppers with Lebanese spices, I always serve with Syrian Salad and Lebanese Laban on the table for people to help themselves. Made with more mint, garlic, and lemon juice – it’s the perfect cool topping for these hearty stuffed peppers. Or keep it off, and this dish is both gluten-free and dairy-free!
Ingredients
- Bell peppers: Slightly sweet and deliciously crisp, bell peppers are affordable and cook wonderfully without breaking down.
- Ground sirloin: Low in fat, high in protein and rich meaty flavor, it’s also called 90% lean ground beef.
- White rice: Makes the filling just that: more filling! Helps to keep you full and to bind the meat mixture together.
- Garlic: Nutty, earthy, and slightly sweet when cooked, this recipe doubles down on this delicious flavor.
- Tomato juice: Savory, robust umami flavor that turns into a delicious sauce.
- Dried mint: Commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking, it is sweet and fragrant.
- Lemon juice: Bright, fresh, and acidic that cuts through the sauce and elevates the other flavors.
How to Make Stuffed Bell peppers with Lebanese Spices
Start your Stuffed Bell Peppers with Lebanese Spices by creating the meat mixture. Add the dry white rice to the ground sirloin in a large bowl. You could also try adding some finely diced white onion!
Next add freshly grated garlic, salt, and black pepper, and mix all together with your hands. Set stuffing aside.
Next, pour tomato juice into a large bowl.
Next add the mint leaves, fresh or dried.
As there can never be enough garlic, using a microplane add garlic to the sauce.
Finish with fresh lemon juice, and whisk until fully combined.
Next cut the tops off of your bell peppers, and trim out any excessive ribbing.
Stuff your peppers evenly with the meat mixture.
Then place your stuffed bell peppers into a large pot.
Take your tomato sauce and poor it over all of the peppers until they are fully covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes.
Once meat is cooked and rice is tender, remove from the pot and serve with a dollop of Lebanese Laban and fresh parsley. Enjoy your Stuffed Bell Peppers with Lebanese Spices!
Substitutions
- Switch out the protein. You can also use ground lamb or turkey instead of beef.
- No tomato juice? You can also use tomato paste thinned with water.
- Use fresh or store-bought. While fresh lemon juice and herbs is always going to be my preference, don’t let it stop you from trying a recipe. You can use bottled juice or dried herbs.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do you have to boil peppers before stuffing them?
Do you have to cook the meat before stuffing bell peppers?
What do you eat with stuffed peppers?
More Lebanese Recipes
- Shish Tawook Chicken
- Classic Hummus with Toasted Pine Nuts
- Lamb Vegetable Soup
- Authentic Lebanese Falafel
- Lebanese Stuffed Kousa Squash
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Comforting, filling, and delicious, my Stuffed Bell Peppers with Lebanese Spices will please the whole family. Let me know how it goes in a comment!
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Stuffed Bell Peppers with Lebanese Spices
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers (top removed, hollowed out)
- 1 pound ground sirloin (or lamb)
- ½ cup long grain, enriched, par-boiled white rice (uncooked )
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 6 cloves garlic (grated and divided )
- 20 ounces tomato juice (or tomato paste mixed with water)
- 2 tablespoons dried mint
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- Lebanese Laban Cucumber Yogurt Sauce (to serve)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together ground sirloin, uncooked white rice, salt, pepper, and 3 of the grated garlic cloves. Stuff peppers equally with 1/4 of the mixture then place peppers in the bottom of a deep pot.
- In a large bowl, whisk together tomato juice, dried mint, lemon juice, and remaining 3 cloves of grated garlic. Pour mixture over the peppers, making sure that the peppers are covered with the liquid. (Add more tomato juice if needed.)
- Bring pot to a boil on high heat then reduce to low and cover with lid. Cook on low for 45 minutes or until peppers are tender and rice and meat is cooked through. Serve with Lebanese Laban Cucumber Yogurt Sauce.
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