Bell peppers stuffed with cumin-spiced rice, raisins and ground beef, baked in a light tomato sauce until tender.
This stuffed pepper dish draws on Morocco's love of warm spices and dried fruit in savory cooking, filling hollowed bell peppers with a mixture of rice, ground beef, raisins and a blend of cumin, cinnamon and paprika. The peppers are par-cooked briefly before stuffing so they soften without collapsing, then baked upright in a light tomato sauce that both flavors the peppers and keeps them from drying out in the oven. The raisins plump as they bake, adding small bursts of sweetness against the savory rice and meat, a distinctly Moroccan touch that sets this apart from more common Mediterranean stuffed pepper recipes.
Serves 4
Cut the tops off the peppers, remove seeds and membranes, and blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes; drain.
Cook onion in olive oil until soft, add garlic, ground beef, cumin, cinnamon and paprika, cooking until the beef is browned.
Stir the parboiled rice, raisins and salt into the beef mixture.
Fill each pepper with the rice and beef mixture, packing gently.
Whisk crushed tomatoes with water and a pinch of salt.
Arrange the stuffed peppers upright in a baking dish, pour the tomato sauce around them, cover with foil, and bake at 190C/375F for 35-40 minutes until the peppers are tender.
Basting the peppers with the sauce halfway through keeps the tops from drying out.
Serve hot, spooning the tomato sauce over each pepper and garnishing with cilantro.
Parboil the rice partially before stuffing — raw rice won't fully cook inside the pepper in the time it takes the pepper to soften.
Blanch the peppers briefly before stuffing so they're tender enough to eat but still hold their shape.
Baste with the tomato sauce partway through baking to keep the exposed tops of the filling moist.
A vegetarian version replaces beef with chickpeas or lentils for the same warmly spiced filling.
Ground lamb can replace beef for a richer, slightly gamier flavor.
Adding toasted almonds to the filling gives extra crunch and a more festive presentation.
Refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container; reheat covered in a 180C/350F oven with a splash of water or extra sauce to keep the peppers moist.
Stuffed vegetable dishes are common across North Africa and the Mediterranean, and this Moroccan version's use of raisins and warm spices reflects the region's characteristic blending of sweet and savory flavors in main courses.
Yes, substitute cooked lentils or chickpeas for the ground beef and use vegetable stock instead of any meat-based liquid.
Slice a thin sliver off the bottom of each pepper (without cutting through) so it sits flat in the baking dish.
Parboil the rice a bit longer before stuffing, or extend the baking time and check with a fork before serving.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 4 servings total
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes
Have feedback or need help?
We read every email and reply within 1–2 business days.
© 2026 MyCookingCalendar. All rights reserved.
