Bell peppers stuffed with chouriço rice and slow-cooked onions, simmered until tender.
Stuffed peppers aren't a defining classic Portuguese dish the way bacalhau or caldo verde are, but the technique of stuffing vegetables with rice, chouriço and slow-cooked onions draws directly on Portuguese home-cooking flavors. The onions are cooked low and slow before mixing into the filling, so their sweetness balances the smoky, paprika-forward chouriço rather than letting the filling taste one-note. Rice cooked partway before stuffing, rather than raw, ensures it finishes tender inside the peppers without needing an excessively long bake that would otherwise dry out the pepper walls. A light tomato sauce simmered around the stuffed peppers in the pot keeps everything moist and gives you a sauce to spoon over at serving. This is an honest, practical home-style adaptation using real Portuguese pantry flavors, not a claim to any single named regional dish.
Serves 4
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Cook onions 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden and soft.
Add chouriço, garlic and paprika to the onions, cooking 3 minutes. Stir in parboiled rice and half the crushed tomatoes, then remove from heat.
Blanch peppers in boiling water 3 minutes, then drain and stuff with the filling.
In a wide pot, combine remaining crushed tomatoes, stock and remaining olive oil. Nestle stuffed peppers in, cover, and simmer 30-35 minutes until peppers are tender.
Plate the peppers with sauce spooned over, garnished with parsley.
Parboil the rice for about 10 minutes before stuffing so it finishes tender in the peppers without needing an extra-long bake.
Take the time to slow-cook the onions properly; rushed onions leave the filling tasting sharp and raw rather than sweet and balanced.
Simmer the peppers gently rather than boiling; a hard boil can break down the pepper walls before the filling finishes cooking.
Add pitted olives to the filling for a briny, Mediterranean-leaning note.
Swap chouriço for smoked paprika and chickpeas for a vegetarian version.
Top with grated cheese in the last 10 minutes of simmering for a richer finish.
Refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container with the sauce. Reheat gently on the stove or in a covered dish in a 175C (350F) oven.
This dish borrows from Portuguese pantry staples, chouriço, sweet paprika and slow-cooked onions, common across regional rice and stew dishes, and applies them to a stuffed pepper format popular in many home kitchens for a complete one-pot meal.
You can, but extend the covered simmering time to about 45-50 minutes and check that the peppers have enough liquid to fully cook the rice through.
There was likely too much liquid in the pot relative to the pot size; use a wide pot so the sauce can reduce properly rather than staying thin and diluted.
Yes, assemble and refrigerate up to a day ahead, then simmer when ready to eat, adding about 10 extra minutes since the peppers will start cold.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 4 servings total
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