Ghanaian Jollof-Spiced Stuffed Peppers with Fresh Mint

About This Recipe

Stuffed peppers aren't a classic Ghanaian dish, but this recipe borrows the real, well-established flavor base of Ghanaian jollof rice — tomato, pepper, onion, curry powder and thyme — and uses it to fill and bake bell peppers, giving the format an authentically Ghanaian character even though the stuffed-pepper presentation itself is a modern adaptation rather than a heritage dish. The filling starts the same way a proper jollof would, with a blended tomato-pepper base cooked down until the oil separates and the raw tomato flavor is gone, ensuring the rice inside the peppers tastes fully seasoned rather than bland. Ground beef is browned into that reduced base along with partially cooked rice, curry powder and thyme, then packed into hollowed bell peppers and baked until the peppers soften and the filling finishes cooking through. A scatter of fresh mint at the end isn't traditional to jollof, but its coolness works well against the rich, smoky filling, offering a fresh contrast that plays nicely with the West African spice base.

Ingredients

Serves 5

• 5bell peppers(tops cut off and cored)
• 400 gground beef
• 0.75 cuplong-grain rice(partially cooked, 10 minutes)
• 3tomatoes(blended)
• 1onion(half blended, half diced)
• 3 tbspneutral oil
• 1.5 tspcurry powder
• 1 tspdried thyme
• 1.5 tspfine sea salt
• 0.5scotch bonnet pepper(minced, seeded for less heat)
• 3 tbspfresh mint(chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Reduce the tomato base

   Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook the diced onion 5 minutes, then add blended tomato and remaining blended onion. Simmer 15 minutes until thick and the oil separates.

2. 2

   Season and brown the beef

   Stir in curry powder, thyme, scotch bonnet and salt. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned and mostly cooked through, about 8 minutes.

3. 3

   Fold in the rice

   Stir in the partially cooked rice, combining well with the beef and sauce.

4. 4

   Stuff the peppers

   Preheat oven to 190C (375F). Fill the hollowed peppers loosely with the beef-rice mixture, packing gently.

5. 5

   Bake covered

   Arrange the stuffed peppers in a baking dish with a splash of water in the bottom. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes.

6. 6

   Finish uncovered

   Remove the foil and bake 10-15 minutes more until the peppers are tender and the filling is fully cooked through.

7. 7

   Serve

   Scatter with fresh mint before serving.

Variations

• •

  Chicken version: substitute ground chicken for beef for a lighter filling.

• •

  Vegetarian: replace the beef with black-eyed peas and mushrooms, keeping the same jollof-style seasoning.

• •

  Cheese-topped: scatter shredded cheese over the peppers in the last 5 minutes of baking for a richer finish.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 180C oven until warmed through, or in the microwave with a splash of water.

Frequently Asked Questions