Argentinian Stuffed Peppers with Beef and Rice (Pimientos Rellenos)

About This Recipe

Pimientos rellenos are a common home-style dish across Argentina, reflecting the country's strong Spanish and Italian culinary roots in their combination of ground beef, rice, tomato and green olives. The filling is cooked on the stovetop first, browning the beef with onion and garlic before mixing in cooked rice, chopped olives and a touch of paprika, so the peppers only need to bake long enough to soften and heat through rather than cook a raw filling. Green olives are the ingredient that gives this dish its distinctly Argentinian, Spanish-influenced character, adding a briny, slightly sharp contrast to the richness of the beef that separates it from stuffed pepper recipes found elsewhere. A simple tomato sauce poured around the peppers before baking keeps them moist and adds a light, saucy element to spoon over the rice once served. Baked until the peppers are tender and the filling is heated through, pimientos rellenos are a straightforward, satisfying family dinner, the kind of dish many Argentinians grew up eating on a regular weeknight rotation.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4bell peppers(tops cut, cored)
• 500 gground beef
• 1onion(finely diced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 1.5 cupscooked white rice
• 0.5 cupgreen olives(pitted and chopped)
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• 1.5 tspfine sea salt(divided)
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 2 cupscanned crushed tomatoes
• 0.5 tspdried oregano
• 0.5 cupshredded mozzarella(optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch the peppers

   Blanch pepper halves or tops-removed peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes to soften slightly. Drain and set in a baking dish.

2. 2

   Cook the filling

   Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion until soft, add garlic and cook 1 minute, then add ground beef and brown, breaking it up, about 8 minutes.

3. 3

   Season the filling

   Stir in rice, olives, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper, mixing until evenly combined.

   Use rice that's a day old or slightly cooled -- warm, freshly cooked rice can turn gummy when mixed straight into the hot beef.

4. 4

   Make the sauce

   Mix crushed tomatoes with oregano and remaining salt. Pour around the peppers in the baking dish.

5. 5

   Stuff and bake

   Pack the filling into each pepper, top with cheese if using, cover with foil, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 30 minutes.

6. 6

   Uncover and finish

   Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted and lightly golden.

7. 7

   Serve

   Serve hot, spooning the tomato sauce from the baking dish over each pepper.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian version: replace the beef with a mix of mushrooms and lentils, keeping the same rice, olive and paprika seasoning.

• •

  Extra cheesy: top generously with mozzarella or provolone for the last 10 minutes of baking.

• •

  Spicier: add a pinch of red chile flakes to the beef filling for extra heat.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat covered in a 350°F oven until warmed through, or in the microwave for individual portions.

Frequently Asked Questions