Nigerian Stuffed Bell Peppers with Jollof Rice

About This Recipe

This stuffed pepper dish takes Nigeria's beloved jollof rice and repurposes it as a filling, packed into halved bell peppers alongside seasoned ground beef and baked until the peppers turn tender and slightly blistered. It's a practical way to use leftover jollof, though most cooks making it fresh will prepare a smaller batch of rice specifically for the peppers. The filling keeps the same tomato, red pepper and scotch bonnet base that defines jollof, cooked down with the ground beef so the meat absorbs the same smoky, spiced flavor as the rice around it. Packing the mixture into raw pepper halves before baking lets the peppers steam gently in their own moisture, softening without turning mushy, while the exposed top of the filling picks up light color in the oven. Served hot from the oven, these stuffed peppers deliver familiar jollof flavor in a more composed, dinner-party-friendly format, with the pepper itself adding a sweet, slightly smoky contrast to the rice.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4bell peppers(halved lengthwise, seeded)
• 400 gground beef
• 1.5 cupslong-grain parboiled rice(cooked)
• 2tomatoes(blended)
• 0.5red bell pepper(blended)
• 0.5scotch bonnet chile(seeds removed)
• 1onion(diced)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tspcurry powder
• 1 tspdried thyme
• 1seasoning cube(crumbled)
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 2 tbspshredded cheese(optional, for topping)

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch the peppers

   Blanch the pepper halves in boiling water for 2 minutes to soften slightly, then drain and set cut-side up in a baking dish.

2. 2

   Brown the beef

   Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef, breaking it up, about 6 minutes. Remove and set aside.

3. 3

   Cook the sauce

   In the same skillet, cook onion until soft, then add tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. Stir in blended tomato, red pepper, scotch bonnet, curry powder, thyme and seasoning cube. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened.

   Cook the sauce down until it's noticeably thicker than a typical pasta sauce -- a loose sauce will make the filling wet and hard to hold together.

4. 4

   Combine the filling

   Return the beef to the skillet, stir in the cooked rice and salt, and mix until evenly coated in the sauce.

5. 5

   Stuff and bake

   Pack the filling generously into each pepper half, mounding slightly. Top with cheese if using, cover with foil, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 more minutes.

6. 6

   Serve

   Let rest 5 minutes before serving hot, straight from the baking dish.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian: skip the beef and use black-eyed peas or lentils instead, keeping the same jollof-style sauce.

• •

  Extra cheesy: top with a generous layer of shredded cheddar or mozzarella for the last 10 minutes of baking.

• •

  Spicier: leave the scotch bonnet seeds in, or add a second chile to the sauce.

Storage

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

Frequently Asked Questions