Romanian Stuffed Peppers (Ardei Umpluti)

Stuffed peppers are enjoyed all over the world, they are prepared in many ways with different ingredients.

These tasteful Romanian stuffed peppers in tomato sauce (ardei umpluti) are absolutely delish, a staple recipe in Romanian homes, a summer recipe loved by everyone.

If you didn’t cooked them before, I tell you: it’s a must try. I hope the pictures in this post will convince you. Mind you: they taste even better than they look! 🙂

This recipe uses sweet yellow Hungarian peppers. They’re stuffed with a combination of ground pork, onion, rice and herbs.

Slowly cooked in a delicious tomato sauce and served with sour cream for even more deliciousness (optional).

Sounds tasty, yet?… Let’s see the ingredients list.

 

🍅 Ingredients For Romanian Stuffed Peppers

• Hungarian sweet yellow peppers – but you can use any sweet peppers you have at hand
  
• Ground pork (with enough fat, for better taste) – can be substituted with ground beef or use a mix of pork and beef
• Rice for the filling mixture – I like to use Arborio short-grain rice, but any rice will do
• Yellow onions – or whatever onions available
• Fresh herbs – thyme, parsley and dill
• Ripe tomatoes for a delicious sauce -substitute with canned, puree or passata
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Some bay leaves
• Sour cream for serving (optional)
• Cooking oil

 

🍲 How To Make Romanian Stuffed Peppers

Well, this recipe require some work and time, but it’s definitely worth it! Cook it in the week-end and make a large batch as I usually do with many meals, to have you covered for at least 2-3 days.

1️ Step one: Prepare the filling mixture

Wash and drain the rice. Let it dry for 5 minutes. Chop 2 onions, 2/3 of the fresh herbs and add them to the ground pork. I put some fresh thyme but also dry thyme for a stronger flavor.

Add the rice, salt and black pepper to taste. Mix everything well, cover with cling film and let it rest in the fridge until you prepare the peppers.

Wash and peel the tomatoes. Cut them in small cubes and set aside.

2️ Step two: Prepare the peppers

Wash the peppers and remove their tops. I don’t cut the tops, because I want to make just a small hole.

Grab the stem and push it into the pepper with one firm move. Then pull it out slowly and discard the seeds and any membranes that you can. Do this with all the peppers.

Get the meat mixture out of the fridge and stuff every pepper as well as you can. To cap them back, use slices of tomatoes. Set aside until you prepare the sauce.

3️ Step three: Make the sauce

Finely chop the remaining onion and saute it on medium heat in 4-5 tbs neutral cooking oil.

When it turns golden, add the tomatoes and let them simmer for a little while to reduce their acidity and water. Add salt to your taste and the bay leaves.

Now it’s time to add the peppers.

4️ Step four: Cook the peppers

Add the stuffed peppers gently into this sauce. Add some hot water so the liquid level goes above half way up the peppers.

Lower the heat at minimum and cover the pot with a lid, leaving some space to release the steam. Cook them about 1 – 1 1/2 hours depending on the meat.

They are done when the fork goes easily through the meat and the rice is done. Watch them closely and add more hot water from time to time if necessary.

Stir occasionally and turn the peppers on all sides, so they can cook evenly.

You can cook them in the oven also, covered with aluminum foil for one hour, remove the foil and let them cook another half hour without cover.

 

🍽️ Serve Romanian Stuffed Peppers With Sour Cream

When done, turn off the heat and sprinkle with freshly chopped dill and parsley.

Serve them hot with lots of delicious sauce, sprinkled with more fresh herbs and a dollop of sour cream on top.

And that’s a real delish right here. Enjoy!

 

Leftovers & Storage

Keep any leftovers in the fridge well covered for about 3-4 days. Reheat as much as you need per serving in the preheated oven for abut 10-12 minutes until warmed through. Add a little water if necessary.

 

F.A.Q

Do you put eggs in stuffed peppers?

Some recipes may call for eggs in stuffed peppers, but this recipe doesn’t use eggs.

What goes well with stuffed peppers?

We eat this stuffed peppers recipe as it is, but if you feel the need for some freshness because of that heavy, meaty filling, you can serve any green salad aside. Pickles are another great choice.

How do I reheat stuffed peppers?

Best method to reheat these Romanian stuffed peppers is in the oven. Add a little water if necessary.

Can you freeze stuffed peppers?

Ultimately you can place cooked peppers in a plastic container and freeze up to 3 months. But I don’t necessarily recommend freezing, they tend to lose their flavor and deliciousness and what will be the point?…

 

Update 8/18/22: I just cooked them the other day, again. The more tomatoes you can use, the better it tastes. Look at that delicious sauce!

They say 1 picture is worth more than 1000 words. I agree.

So, If you cooked and liked this stuffed peppers recipe – rate it, share it with your FB friends or save it on Pinterest for later.

 

Other delicious recipes for your family:

• Garlic Chicken Tomato Sauce (full of color and flavor)
• Delicious Pan Fried Zucchini (easy summer recipe)
• Tomato Scrambled Eggs (quick & easy anytime)

FOOD makes everybody happy! Share this with your friends.