Peppers Stuffed With Rice, Zucchini and Herbs

By Martha Rose Shulman

Peppers Stuffed With Rice, Zucchini and Herbs
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
About 2 hours
Rating
4(161)
Comments
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I used a medium-grain rice that I buy at my local Iranian market for these peppers. The package says that the rice is great for stuffing vegetables because it doesn’t swell too much, and it’s right. It goes into the peppers uncooked and steams in the oven, inside the peppers (so it’s important to cook them long enough and cover the baking dish). Make sure that you spoon the sauce left in the baking dish over the rice once the peppers are done. These are good hot or at room temperature. I like to use green peppers.

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 6
  • 6medium peppers, preferably green
  • 2medium zucchini (about ¾ pound), shredded
  • Salt to taste
  • ⅓cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • ½cup finely chopped fresh mint
  • ¼cup chopped fresh dill or parsley
  • 1scant cup uncooked medium grain rice
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 2tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in ⅔ cup water
  • 2tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

268 calories; 13 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 559 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the peppers. With a sharp paring knife, cut away the tops, then reach in and pull out the membranes and seeds.

  2. Step 2

    Toss the shredded zucchini with salt and let drain in a colander for 20 minutes. Take up handfuls of zucchini and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the garlic, mint, parsley or dill, and rice. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in ¼ cup of the olive oil and let sit for 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a baking dish large enough to accommodate all of the peppers. Fill the peppers about ¾ of the way full with the stuffing, and replace the caps. Place in the oiled baking dish. Mix together the tomato paste and water with the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice. Season to taste. Add to the baking dish. Cover the dish with foil. Place in the oven and bake 45 minutes to an hour, until the peppers are soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, or serve hot. Remove the tops of the peppers and spoon the sauce in the baking dish over the rice before serving.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: These can be made a day ahead. Leftovers are good for 3 or 4 days.

Ratings

4 out of 5
161 user ratings
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Comments

Rebecca

The rice was crunchy and starchy tasting after baking for an hour (using medium grain rice, as the recipe calls for). I baked an extra half hour. In the end, the rice was just barely cooked, but the peppers tasted bland and just okay. For the effort, not a recipe I would repeat. I made these as a taco meal with a corn salad and so I added a bit of feta and avocado on top of the peppers. It made them better, but they were not really much to speak of.

Chris B

I parboil rice (even slow-cooking brown rice) about 10 minutes or so, drain, and use like that. It comes out perfectly cooked. Or you can use fully cooked rice, but the peppers will still need 45+ minutes to cook through anyway.

Rachel

I absolutely loved this recipe! We made a slightly modified version without the tomato paste and went a little overboard on the fresh herbs (specifically the mint). The flavor is so fresh and zingy. That being said, bake for half an hour more than required if you want the rice to be soft.

Lynn

I parboiled the rice and it was still super crunchy. Not very flavorful. I cannot imagine how anyone would cook this according to the recipe and have it come out where the rice is edible.

Ele

really bland despite the herbs???

Elisabeth

I didn't have dill/parsley/mint, but I did have a lot of fresh celery leaves and they made it very tasty! Nice recipe

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