Stuffed Bell Peppers | Stuffed Capsicum – Indian Style | Video

Stuffed capsicum or bell peppers – Make dinnertime extra special with this picture-perfect bowls of bell peppers. Made with spiced minced meat, cooked rice and tomato sauce, this is guaranteed to be a winner. Add a side of raita (yogurt salad) and pappadums for a complete meal. 

Among all of nature’s bounty, bell peppers or capsicums are one of my favorites. You can do so much with them. Chop and add to curries, soups and stews. Cut into sticks, and dip your way to the favorite starter. Or just stuff them to create delicious dinner.

Now imagine a full-blown delicious Indian meal stuffed inside bell peppers. Rice and minced meat seasoned with ground spices like cumin, coriander, and a touch of red chili powder. Flavorful and vibrant, this dish tastes incredible when served with raita (Indian yogurt salad) and crunchy pappadums.

Ok, now, let’s have a quick look at how you make this stuffed capsicum (bell peppers). Start out by making the stuffing, which is all about browning the meat along with few spices to zoom up the flavor in the whole dish. Before I browned the meat, I sautéed some onions and garlic, and then threw in the minced meat. If you’re not a fan of beef, you can always substitute it with lamb.

Once meat is browned, the spices go in to flavor the rest of the ingredients in the pan. A couple of sliced tomatoes and herbs also adds immense depth of flavor. To make this stuffed bell pepper dish a complete meal, we’ll also stir in some cooked rice and tomato sauce. Yum!

Again, I choose to cut the bell peppers horizontally. Remember to remove all the membranes and seeds. Next up, the stuffing we prepared earlier goes into the peppers, and baked to perfection.

Lastly, serve them warm with a side of raita and pappadums. Just because no Indian meal is complete without these goodies!

Yield: 3

Stuffed Bell Peppers | Stuffed Capsicum | Video

Print

These stuffed bell peppers are healthy, comforting, and packed full of goodness.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 500 g ground or minced meat (beef or lamb)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin (cumin powder)
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander (coriander powder)
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 2 small tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped mint or coriander (cilantro) leaves
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce (tomato ketchup)
• 3 red bell peppers (capsicums)
• Salt and pepper, to season

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Line a baking tray with baking (parchment) paper.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until onions turn soft and translucent. Add ground beef. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Brown beef, breaking it apart as it cooks, for about 8-10 minutes. Drain excess fat. Stir in ground cumin, ground coriander and red chili powder. Stir fry for a minute. Add tomatoes and mint leaves. Cook for another 2 minutes, or until the tomatoes are mushy. Leave to cool slightly.
4. Meanwhile, cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and membranes. Rinse. Set aside.
5. Place beef mixture in a large bowl. Add cooked rice and tomato sauce. Stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Spoon the meat mixture into bell peppers. Place peppers on the baking tray.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the peppers are tender. Garnish with more mint leaves. Serve warm.

Notes

- For a vegetarian version of this recipe, try a combination of finely chopped paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and veggies.
- You can add more veggies like beans, carrots etc. Chop them finely, and cook them with the ground meat
- If you're not a fan of beef, use ground lamb
- Mint leaves can be replaced with coriander (cilantro) leaves if you like

Nutrition Information

Yield

3

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 561Total Fat 34gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 148mgSodium 223mgCarbohydrates 38gFiber 3gSugar 14gProtein 49g

Like this stuffed capsicum (stuffed bell pepper) recipe? Then join Nish Kitchen on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or YouTube. Also, check out:

• Bell Pepper Egg-in-a-Hole
• Taco Cups