Hungarian Töltött Paprika (Stuffed Peppers)

About This Recipe

Töltött paprika is Hungarian home cooking at its most satisfying — wide Hungarian bell peppers stuffed with a seasoned mixture of ground pork, rice, and herbs, then simmered slowly in a rich, paprika-tinged tomato sauce until everything is tender and the flavors have merged. Made in large batches for family Sunday lunches, they're even better reheated the next day.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 8 largeHungarian or red bell peppers
• 600 gground pork
• 1 cupshort-grain rice, washed
• 1 largeonion, grated
• 2 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 egg
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• 1 tspmarjoram
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 cupstomato passata
• 1 cupsour cream
• 1 tbspflour

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the peppers

   Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds and membranes. Reserve the tops.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Combine pork, raw rice, grated onion, garlic, egg, paprika, marjoram, and salt. Mix well.

3. 3

   Stuff the peppers

   Fill each pepper 3/4 full with the meat mixture. Replace tops or leave open.

4. 4

   Simmer in tomato sauce

   Place stuffed peppers upright in a pot. Pour tomato passata and enough water to half-cover the peppers. Cover and simmer on low for 60–70 minutes until rice is cooked.

5. 5

   Make the sauce

   Remove peppers. Mix flour into sour cream, then whisk into the hot tomato cooking liquid. Simmer 5 minutes to thicken. Pour over peppers and serve.

Variations

• •

  Make with mixed pork and beef

• •

  Add mushrooms to the filling

• •

  Make a vegetarian version with lentil and mushroom filling

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 5 days. Flavor improves on day 2. Freeze for 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions