Balkan Lenten Stuffed Peppers with Rice Mushrooms and Walnuts 🌶️✨

Description

Balkan Lenten Stuffed Peppers with Rice Mushrooms and Walnuts are tender oven-baked peppers filled with savory rice, mushrooms, onions, carrots, toasted walnuts, herbs, and tomato paprika sauce. They are hearty without meat, rich without cheese, and perfect for fasting days, family lunches, or a warm Balkan table with good bread on the side.
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Hook ✨
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Sweet peppers, savory rice, mushrooms, toasted walnuts, tomato sauce, garlic, and paprika make this Balkan fasting dish warm, colorful, and deeply satisfying. 🍅

Ingredients

• Peppers 🌶️
• 🌶️ 8 medium bell peppers, mixed red and yellow (1.1 kg / 2.4 lb)
• 🫒 20 ml olive oil (1 tbsp + 1 tsp / 0.7 fl oz)
• 🧂 3 g fine sea salt (½ tsp / 0.1 oz)
• ‌
• Rice mushroom filling 🍄
• 🫒 35 ml olive oil (2 tbsp + 1 tsp / 1.2 fl oz)
• 🧅 180 g onion, finely chopped (1½ cups / 6.3 oz)
• 🥕 120 g carrot, grated (1 cup / 4.2 oz)
• 🍄 250 g mushrooms, finely chopped (3 cups / 8.8 oz)
• 🧄 4 garlic cloves, minced (4 cloves / 0.7 oz)
• 🍚 170 g short-grain rice, rinsed (1 cup / 6 oz)
• 🌰 80 g walnuts, toasted and chopped (¾ cup / 2.8 oz)
• 🍅 30 g tomato paste (2 tbsp / 1 oz)
• 🌶️ 6 g sweet paprika (2½ tsp / 0.2 oz)
• 🌫️ 1 g smoked paprika (½ tsp / 0.03 oz)
• 🌿 20 g fresh parsley, chopped (½ cup loose / 0.7 oz)
• 🧂 7 g fine sea salt (1¼ tsp / 0.25 oz)
• ⚫ 2 g black pepper (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 💧 180 ml vegetable stock or water (¾ cup / 6 fl oz)
• ‌
• Tomato paprika sauce 🍅
• 🍅 500 g crushed tomatoes (2 cups / 17.6 oz)
• 💧 300 ml vegetable stock or water (1¼ cups / 10 fl oz)
• 🫒 25 ml olive oil (1 tbsp + 2 tsp / 0.85 fl oz)
• 🌶️ 4 g sweet paprika (1½ tsp / 0.14 oz)
• 🧄 2 garlic cloves, minced (2 cloves / 0.35 oz)
• 🍃 2 bay leaves
• 🧂 4 g fine sea salt (¾ tsp / 0.14 oz)
• ‌
• Finish 🌿
• 🌿 15 g fresh parsley, chopped (⅓ cup / 0.5 oz)
• 🫒 10 ml olive oil for finishing (2 tsp / 0.3 fl oz)
• 🍋 10 ml lemon juice, optional (2 tsp / 0.3 fl oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Prepare the peppers 🌶️
2. ‌
3. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Cut the tops from the peppers and remove the seeds. Brush the peppers lightly with olive oil and season inside with salt.
4. ‌
5. 2️⃣ Cook the vegetables 🍄
6. ‌
7. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot, then cook for 7 min until soft. Add mushrooms and cook for 8 min more, until their liquid evaporates.
8. ‌
9. 3️⃣ Build the filling 🍚
10. ‌
11. Add garlic, rice, walnuts, tomato paste, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Stir for 2 min so the rice absorbs the flavor.
12. ‌
13. 4️⃣ Add moisture 💧
14. ‌
15. Pour in 180 ml stock or water and cook for 5 min, stirring often. The filling should be moist but not watery. The rice will finish cooking in the oven.
16. ‌
17. 5️⃣ Make the sauce 🍅
18. ‌
19. In a baking dish, mix crushed tomatoes, stock, olive oil, paprika, garlic, bay leaves, and salt. Spread the sauce evenly across the bottom.
20. ‌
21. 6️⃣ Fill the peppers ✨
22. ‌
23. Spoon the rice mushroom filling into the peppers, leaving a little space at the top so the rice can expand. Place the peppers upright in the sauce and add their tops back on.
24. ‌
25. 7️⃣ Bake covered 🔥
26. ‌
27. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 45 min, until the peppers soften and the rice becomes tender.
28. ‌
29. 8️⃣ Finish uncovered 🌶️
30. ‌
31. Remove the foil and bake for 15 min more, until the peppers are glossy, lightly wrinkled, and the tomato sauce thickens around them.
32. ‌
33. 9️⃣ Rest and serve 🌿
34. ‌
35. Rest for 10 min. Finish with parsley, olive oil, and a small squeeze of lemon if you want a brighter sauce. Serve warm with bread.

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 25 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 1 h 22 min
🛋 Rest: 10 min
⏰ Total: 1 h 57 min

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