Argentinian Harbor Charred Pepper Stuffed Vegetables

About This Recipe

Pimientos rellenos, peppers stuffed with a rice and ground beef filling, are a common Argentine home dinner, especially popular for using up a small amount of meat to feed a full family. The filling is seasoned simply with onion, garlic, oregano and paprika, echoing the same herb profile found in chimichurri, then packed into halved peppers and baked until the peppers soften and the filling is fully cooked through. Par-cooking the rice partway before stuffing the peppers is an important step — raw rice packed straight into a pepper often stays undercooked by the time the pepper itself is tender, leaving a crunchy, unpleasant center. A splash of stock poured into the baking dish keeps everything moist as it bakes, rather than drying out in the oven. Finished with a scattering of parsley, this makes a satisfying, complete dinner in one dish, with leftovers that reheat well the next day.

Ingredients

Serves 5

• 5bell peppers(halved, seeds removed)
• 400 gground beef
• 0.75 cuplong-grain rice(rinsed)
• 3 tbspolive oil(divided)
• 1onion(diced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1 cupcrushed tomatoes
• 1 cupbeef or vegetable stock
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 0.33 cupparsley(chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Par-cook the rice

   Boil rice in salted water for 8 minutes until partway cooked but still firm. Drain and set aside.

   Fully raw rice often stays undercooked inside the pepper — par-cooking first avoids a crunchy center.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, then add garlic, paprika and oregano for 30 seconds. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned.

3. 3

   Combine

   Stir the par-cooked rice, half the crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper into the beef mixture.

4. 4

   Stuff the peppers

   Arrange pepper halves in a baking dish. Fill each with the beef and rice mixture, pressing gently to pack.

5. 5

   Bake

   Pour remaining crushed tomatoes and stock around the peppers. Cover with foil and bake at 190C (375F) for 35-40 minutes until the peppers are tender.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes to lightly brown the tops. Scatter parsley over before serving.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian: replace the beef with a mix of black beans and extra rice, keeping the same seasoning.

• •

  Add cheese: top with shredded mozzarella in the last 10 minutes of baking for a melty finish.

• •

  Spicier: add a pinch of chili flakes to the filling.

Storage

Refrigerate in a sealed container up to 4 days. Reheat covered in a 180C oven for 15-20 minutes, or in the microwave with a splash of water, until warmed through.

Frequently Asked Questions