Bell Pepper Stuffed with Ground Meat and Rice

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Meatball mix

1. 1
   Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 3
   Add the garlic and fry 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
4. 4
   Raise the heat to medium-high and add the meat. Press it flat over the bottom and leave it for 2–3 minutes without stirring, until a brown crust forms.

   Stove

   💡Brown ground beef in the pot without pressing it: leave it as one 'cake' for a few minutes until a brown crust forms, then break it into chunks. Deep browning = deep flavor.
5. 5
   Break it up with a wooden spoon and fry for 5–7 more minutes, stirring, until no pink is left and the meat browns.

   StoveWooden spoon
6. 6
   Add the rice, tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, baharat, cinnamon, salt and black pepper to the meat, stir and cook for 2 minutes.

   Stove
7. 7
   Remove from the heat.

   Stove

To assemble

1. 8
   Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 9
   Cut the cap off the bell peppers and set it aside. Scoop out the insides with a teaspoon.

   KnifeCutting board
3. 10
   Fill the bell peppers with the mixture up to ¾ full: the rice swells as it cooks.

   💡Fill only three-quarters full: the uncooked rice swells inside the vegetable, and a full filling gets pushed out.
4. 11
   Cover each vegetable with its cap.
5. 12
   Arrange the bell peppers, now stuffed, in a deep baking dish.

   Baking pan
6. 13
   Add the stock to the pan.
7. 14
   Cover the baking dish with foil.

   Baking panAluminum foil
8. 15
   Heat in a wide pot, add and cook 0 minutes.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
9. 16
   Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes so the sauce reduces.