Ardei Umpluți (Romanian Stuffed Peppers in Tomato Sauce)
Local name: Ardei umpluți
In short: Bell peppers filled with pork, rice and fresh dill, then simmered in a gentle tomato sauce until the filling is tender and the peppers are soft. It takes about 1 h 50 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 1 h 15 min
- Total
- 1 h 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 600 kcal
Ardei umpluți appear on Romanian tables in late summer, when peppers are cheap and the garden dill is still green. The filling is the same pork, rice and onion mixture used for sarmale, but the wrapper is a sweet pepper and the sauce is a light tomato broth. Everything cooks together in one pot, and the dish is even better the next day with a spoonful of sour cream.
Instructions
- Cut the tops off the peppers and keep them as lids. Remove the seeds and white ribs, and rinse. If a pepper will not stand up, slice a thin piece off the bottom.
- Heat the oil in a small pan and cook the grated onion over medium heat for 5 minutes, until soft but not brown. Let it cool for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix the pork, onion, rice, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, dill, parsley and water. Knead for a minute until the mixture holds together.
- Fill each pepper about three-quarters full, because the rice swells as it cooks. Set the lids back on top.
- Stand the peppers upright in a heavy pot where they fit snugly. Mix the tomato juice, water, tomato paste, sugar, bay leaves and salt, and pour it around the peppers so it comes about two-thirds of the way up.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 60 to 70 minutes, until the rice is tender, the meat reaches 71°C (160°F) and the peppers are soft. Top up with hot water if the sauce gets low.
- Rest for 10 minutes. Serve the peppers with plenty of sauce, bread and a spoonful of sour cream if you like.
Tips
- Choose peppers of similar size so they cook evenly. Thick-walled green peppers give the most traditional flavor, and red ones are sweeter.
- For a meatless filling, swap the pork for 250 g (9 oz) finely chopped mushrooms sautéed with the onion until dry, and add 50 g (1/4 cup) extra rice.
Questions and answers
Do I need to cook the rice before stuffing the peppers?
No. Raw rice cooks inside the pepper by soaking up the meat juices and sauce. Pre-cooked rice would turn mushy.
Can I freeze stuffed peppers?
Yes. Freeze the cooked peppers in their sauce for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stove.
How are ardei umpluți different from sarmale?
They use a similar rice and meat filling, but the wrapper is a pepper instead of a soured cabbage leaf, and the sauce is tomato-based. That makes them quicker and a little sweeter.
How long does it take to make Ardei Umpluți (Romanian Stuffed Peppers in Tomato Sauce)?
About 1 h 50 min in total: 35 min of preparation and 1 h 15 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Ardei Umpluți (Romanian Stuffed Peppers in Tomato Sauce)?
About 600 kcal per serving, with 28 g of protein, 49 g of carbohydrates and 33 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 600 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 28 g |
| Carbohydrates | 49 g |
| Fat | 33 g |
| Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 17 g |
| Sodium | 1050 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
