Nigerian Stuffed Bell Peppers with Rice and Beef

About This Recipe

Stuffed peppers are a flexible, practical dish in Nigerian home cooking, built from the same seasoning foundation — curry powder, thyme, scotch bonnet — that runs through much of the country's everyday cooking, just applied to a stuffed-vegetable format rather than a stew. The technique that matters most is fully cooking and seasoning the filling before it goes into the peppers, since the oven time is really about softening the peppers rather than finishing the meat. A splash of liquid in the baking dish, covered while baking, helps the peppers steam through evenly instead of drying out on top while staying firm underneath. It's an easy way to turn ground beef, rice and a few pantry spices into a full, satisfying dinner — practical, filling, and easy to adapt to whatever vegetables or proteins are on hand.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4bell peppers(tops cut off, seeded)
• 500 gground beef
• 1 cupcooked rice
• 1onion(finely diced)
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2tomatoes(diced)
• 1 tspcurry powder
• 0.5 tspdried thyme
• 1scotch bonnet pepper(minced, adjust to taste)
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 1stock cube(crumbled)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 0.5 cuptomato sauce

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep the peppers

   Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut the tops off the peppers and remove seeds, standing them upright in a baking dish.

2. 2

   Cook the filling base

   Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion 5 minutes until soft, then add garlic and scotch bonnet, cooking 1 minute more.

3. 3

   Brown the beef

   Add ground beef, breaking it up, and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, curry powder, thyme, salt and stock cube, simmering 8 minutes until well combined.

4. 4

   Combine with rice and stuff

   Fold in the cooked rice, then spoon the mixture into the peppers, packing gently. Top with tomato sauce.

5. 5

   Bake until tender

   Cover loosely with foil and bake 30-35 minutes, until the peppers are tender.

   Add a splash of water or stock to the bottom of the baking dish so the peppers steam gently as they bake.

Variations

• •

  Swap beef for minced turkey or chicken for a lighter version.

• •

  Add chopped spinach to the filling for extra vegetables and color.

• •

  Top with a sprinkle of shredded cheese in the last 10 minutes of baking for a fusion twist.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions