This Greek stuffed peppers recipe is made with lamb and rice, and they're baked until tender and delicious! I've cut down the cooking time considerably for these classic Mediterranean stuffed peppers so you can make them any time a whim strikes! They're gluten-free and can easily be adapted into dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan options.
After 2 years of testing, I've come up with the best Greek stuffed peppers recipe! It's full of time-saving tricks and loaded with Mediterranean flavors.
I love cooking stuffed peppers, but the length of time and number of steps involved sometimes seemed daunting. Well I promise you, my method is quick and easy, with only 5 minutes of par-cooking the rice and NO pre-cooking the peppers!
If you're looking for more gluten free Greek recipes, try my sheet pan Greek Chicken and Potatoes or this Traditional Greek Salad!
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Greek stuffed peppers ingredients
You only need a few ingredients, most of them pantry staples.
- Bell peppers: Use any color combination of bell peppers that you like! I prefer the sweeter ones, so I only use orange, yellow, and red bell peppers. But if you like the green ones, feel free to add them in.
- Ground meat: I love to use ground lamb for baked stuffed peppers, because it reminds me of the ones I had in at the restaurants on the Plaka in Athens, Greece! See ideas for substitutions below.
- Rice: We'll use basmati rice and par-cook it to decrease our overall active cooking time.
- Onions and garlic: Our aromatics to flavor the lamb.
- Canned tomatoes: I always use real San Marzano tomatoes to make sauces like this. They have a sweeter flavor and break down easily.
- Feta cheese: Feta goes into the filling of the baked stuffed peppers and on top of them before serving.
- Fresh parsley: Lamb is hearty and needs fresh herbs to lighten it up. We'll add fresh parsley to the filling of the peppers and sprinkle some on top for serving.
- Greek oregano: Using real Greek oregano does bring out the true Greek flavor of the baked stuffed peppers.
- Olive oil: Any extra virgin olive oil will work, but if you can find a Greek olive oil, even better!
- Water: We need water for our rice and to use in the tomato sauce.
- Kosher salt
How to make Greek stuffed peppers
We'll be multi-tasking while we make these peppers—chopping veg while the rice cooks, prepping tomatoes while the lamb cooks, prepping the peppers while the filling cooks—but it's not stressful. Just have all of your ingredients ready to go before you start!
Step 1: Par-cook the rice
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add one cup of rice and 2 cups water to a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the rice and set aside.
Step 2: Chop the herbs and aromatics
While the rice cooks, use a good chef's knife to finely dice the onion, garlic and parsley.
Step 3: Cook onions and garlic, add Greek oregano
Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Once shimmering, add the onions and a pinch of salt. Sweat onions until soft and translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
Add the garlic and Greek oregano to the onions, and stir for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Pro tip
This technique is called "blooming the spices". Cooking the dried oregano in the oil in the skillet allows the flavor and aroma to intensify, and will result in a better tasting dish!
Step 4: Brown the lamb
Add the ground lamb and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to the skillet, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon or bamboo spatula. Cook for 6-10 minutes, until the lamb is starting to get brown and crispy. Stir in the parsley and cook for 1 more minute.
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Step 5: Add the rice, tomatoes and feta
While the lamb cooks, transfer the canned tomatoes to a bowl and crush them by hand. Fill the can half full of water and set aside.
Add the canned tomatoes, water from the can, par-cooked rice, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the skillet. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens.
Stir in ยฝ cup of the feta and remove from heat. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Step 6: Prepare the bell peppers
While the filling is simmering, cut the tops off of the bell peppers, then remove the seeds and trim the ribs from the interior.
Fill a deep baking dish large enough to hold 8 stuffed peppers about ยผ of the way with water. (or divide between two smaller dishes.)
Step 7: Stuff the peppers and bake!
Fill each pepper with the rice filling, being careful that they are not over stuffed, and nestle them into your baking dish. They should be snug enough that they don't fall over.
Cover tightly with foil and cook the stuffed peppers in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more. (See tips below.)
Top with more feta and chopped fresh parsley for serving.
Expert Tips
- Be very careful when removing the foil covering the stuffed peppers, as steam will release and it can burn you.
- Depending on how you like the texture of your Greek stuffed peppers, they can be baked longer. I like mine with some integrity to them, so this cooking time is a little shorter. My husband likes his falling apart, so I leave his in the oven longer!
- Try to choose bell peppers that have flat bottoms, so they stand up without falling over when stuffed and baked. You can also ensure that they remain upright by using a baking dish that isn't too large, so they fit into it very snugly.
Greek stuffed peppers recipe variations
These baked stuffed peppers are already gluten free, but would you like to make some that are vegetarian, vegan or dairy-free? This recipe is so versatile, it can accommodate options for almost any dietary needs!
- Dairy-free stuffed peppers: To make dairy-free Greek stuffed peppers, leave out the feta cheese.
- Vegetarian stuffed peppers: Swap out the ground meat for chickpeas, lentils, frozen peas, tempeh, tofu, or any combination of your favorite vegetables.
- Vegan stuffed peppers: Swap in a vegan feta, and use the same ideas for the vegetarian option for the filling.
- Use different ground meats: If you don't want to use lamb for your Greek stuffed peppers, you can use ground beef, ground bison, ground turkey, or ground chicken.
- Make other stuffed vegetables: You can use this filling recipe to make stuffed tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini or winter squash!
FAQ
I use basmati rice when baking stuffed peppers because it cooks quickly and is aromatic, but not overpowering. You could use wild rice or brown rice, but you'll need to adjust the cooking time, they must be par-cooked for much longer.
Stuffed bell peppers should be baked until they are at least tender, and at most, falling apart! I like to cook mine for about 40 minutes total for the perfect texture.
Greek-style stuffed peppers make an excellent freezer meal! Bake them first and allow to cool. Then place in a freezer-safe container to chill in the refrigerator overnight. (I use ziptop freezer bags.) Transfer to the freezer and store for up to 3 months.
Make ahead and reheating
- Make ahead: The filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight. Reheat covered on low so you don't reduce the sauce further, then stuff the bell peppers and bake as directed.
- To reheat leftovers: Place Greek stuffed peppers in the microwave on high, or in a 350 degree F oven covered with foil until warmed through.
Greek stuffed peppers are easy, versatile, and full of Mediterranean flavors!
- You only need one skillet and one saucepan for easy cleanup!
- This Greek stuffed peppers recipe is gluten free and can easily be made dairy free.
- Greek oregano + feta cheese = classic Mediterranean flavor!
- Swap out the ground lamb for other meats, or make them vegetarian.
- Shorter cooking time means you are eating dinner sooner!
More recipes with bell peppers
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Recipe
Greek Stuffed Peppers Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano
- 1 pound ground lamb or other ground meat
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley plus more for serving
- 28 ounces canned whole or crushed tomatoes preferably San Marzano
- ½ cup feta cheese plus more for serving
- 8 bell peppers any color
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add one cup of rice and 2 cups water to a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the rice and set aside.
- While the rice cooks, finely dice the onion, garlic and parsley.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Once shimmering, add the onions and a pinch of salt. Sweat onions until soft and translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and Greek oregano to the onions, and stir for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the ground lamb and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to the skillet, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon or bamboo spatula. Cook for 6-10 minutes, until the lamb is starting to get brown and crispy. Stir in the parsley and cook for 1 more minute.
- While the lamb cooks, transfer the canned tomatoes to a bowl and crush them by hand. Fill the can half full of water and set aside.
- Add the canned tomatoes, water from the can, par-cooked rice, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the skillet. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens. Stir in ½ cup of the feta and remove from heat. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
- While the filling is simmering, cut the tops off of the bell peppers, then remove the seeds and trim the ribs from the interior. Fill a deep baking dish large enough to hold 8 stuffed peppers about ¼ of the way with water. (Or use two smaller dishes.)
- Fill each pepper with filling, being careful that they are not over stuffed, and nestle them into your baking dish. They should be snug enough that they don't fall over.
- Cover tightly with foil and cook the stuffed peppers in the oven for 30 minutes, then carefully remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more. (See tips below.) Top with more feta and chopped fresh parsley for serving.
Notes
- We'll be multi-tasking while we make these peppers—chopping veg while the rice cooks, prepping tomatoes while the lamb cooks, prepping the peppers while the filling cooks—but it's not stressful. Just have all of your ingredients ready to go before you start!
- Be very careful when removing the foil covering the stuffed peppers, as steam will release and it can burn you.
- Depending on how you like the texture of your Greek stuffed peppers, they can be baked longer. I like mine with some integrity to them, so this cooking time is a little shorter. My husband likes his falling apart, so I leave his in the oven longer!
- Try to choose bell peppers that have flat bottoms, so they stand up without falling over when stuffed and baked. You can also ensure that they remain upright by using a baking dish that isn't too large, so they fit into it very snugly.
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