greek stuffed peppers or tomatoes
I love Greek stuffed peppers and tomatoes. I am partial to the tomato a little because it is a smaller meal but I do enjoy the peppers just as much. These stuffed peppers & tomatoes are super moist, meaty with just a little rice. They have a hint of tangy flavor from the lemon juice and I love the addition of dill or mint. (This to me, is what sets them apart from other stuffed peppers.) Traditionally speaking, the authentic Greek recipes that I found called for spearmint but peppermint tastes just as good. I have tried both & I really couldn't tell the difference. They are incredible & delicious peppers. I have combined 3 different recipes to make these. So far, this recipe that I have come up with through trial and error comes the closest to replicating other Greek peppers that I have had.
Ingredients
- 6 medium organic peppers
- 6 medium organic tomatoes
- TOMATO SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans hunt's diced tomatoes fire roasted w/garlic (see picture below)
- 2 cups tomato puree
- 1/2 cup water (if you want a thinner sauce)
- 1 - 2 medium lemon, juiced
- 2 - 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon greek seasonings
- MEAT MIXTURE AND RICE
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup lundberg rice, parboiled
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2 cup spearmint, peppermint or dill, freshl
How To Make greek stuffed peppers or tomatoes
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Step 1Clean out the peppers and remove inside of tomatoes. -
Step 2Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil in pan and heat up to saute onions until tender then add the minced garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Now add the insides of tomatoes, 2 cans of tomatoes, 2 cups of tomato sauce, 1/2 water, 1 juiced lemon, 2 tsps parsley and 2 tsps oregano and 2-3 Tbsp sugar. Simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes. You should taste your sauce and make sure it is to your liking and add more sugar if need be. Set aside 3 cups of sauce. This will be used to pour around the peppers and tomatoes.
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Step 3Next, take your ground beef, rice, salt, pepper and dill or mint and mix together in a large bowl. Now, mix the remaining sauce in with the beef and rice.
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Step 4Stuff your peppers and tomatoes with mixture. Pour the reserved tomato sauce mixture around them. Cover and cook at 375 degrees for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Take the peppers & tomatoes out of oven and remove the tin foil. Place on table and have a large slotted spoon for those who want additional sauce served on top. [We love the extra sauce on top.] :-)
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Step 5Prepare a small salad, if desired. It is a nice addition to the stuffed peppers. Also, some toasted slices of Italian bread are nice to serve with the peppers and tomatoes too.
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Step 6Made peppers again this week with the recipe and just tried 2 of them with all the ingredients including a can of tomatoes, okra and corn served with mashed potatoes. YUMM I also used spearmint in these peppers.
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Step 7Fire roasted tomatoes and tomato puree
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Step 8Sept. 9th, 2012 -- Greek Stuffed Tomatoes with a little feta cheese on top
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Step 9Nov. 10th, 2014 -- Made these tonight in my Ninja Cooking System and tried ground turkey instead of beef w/mashed potatoes of course!
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Step 10May 9th, 2016 -- I made a significant change to my Greek Stuffed Peppers by omitting the rice and adding minced cauliflower instead.....it was undetectable! My husband Anthony hates cauliflower and said it was really good. So, thanks to a lady from Wheat Belly and my friend Terri who both suggested it. Another, healthy conversion taking place annnd with one of my FAVORITE meals.
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Post a picture of your finished recipe here and on your favorite social network. Don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes!
