Polish Stuffed Peppers (Papryka Nadziewana)

Turkish stuffed peppers on plate, with fork

Dorling Kindersley / Getty Images

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 75 mins
Servings: 4 servings

This recipe for Polish stuffed peppers, called papryka nadziewana (pah-PRIH-kah nah-jeh-VAH-nah), can be made with any color pepper and with either raw ground meat or cooked leftover meat, and cooked barley or kasha can replace the rice. In fact, any Polish gołąbki filling can be used.

This recipe calls for baking the stuffed peppers, but they can also be cooked in a covered casserole on top of the stove or in a slow cooker; they also freeze and reheat well.

Ingredients

Peppers

  • 4 bell peppers, any color

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Filling

  • 1 pound ground chuck, or half ground beef and half lean ground pork

  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 cup cooked rice, barley, or buckwheat groats

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika, hot or mild

  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

  • 4 slices tomato, optional

  • 2 cups tomato juice

Steps to Make It

Prepare the Peppers

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Wash the peppers, cut off and reserve the tops, and scoop out and discard the insides. (If desired, blanch the peppers in boiling water for 2 minutes and drain.)

  3. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Prepare the Filling

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat the bottom of a 9-inch-square pan with cooking spray and set aside.

  3. Chop the reserved pepper tops finely and place in a large bowl. Add the ground meat, onion, garlic, rice, egg, paprika, salt, and pepper, and mix well.

    Tip

    If using raw ground meat, you might want to fry up a bit of the stuffing mixture so you can taste it to make sure the seasonings are just right.

Stuff and Bake Peppers

  1. Stuff each pepper with 1/4 of the meat mixture. Place in the prepared pan.

  2. Top each pepper with a slice of tomato, if desired. Pour tomato juice over all. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour.

  3. If the sauce is evaporating too quickly, add a little water.

  4. Serve the stuffed peppers with potatoes, dumplings, or noodles, and enjoy.

How to Store and Freeze

Stuffed peppers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for three to five days. For longer storage, and a quick weeknight meal, freeze the cooked stuffed peppers. Allow to cool completely and either keep in the baking dish, covered well with both plastic and foil, or wrap individually in plastic wrap and then place in a zip-top bag. Frozen stuffed peppers will last up to one year. To cook, place the peppers in a 350 F oven for 30 minutes, until completely thawed and warmed through.

Tip

If you have whole frozen peppers, you can use them in this recipe as is; the frozen peppers will thaw as they bake. If you cook stuffed peppers often enough, you may want to prepare the peppers before freezing; slice off the tops and remove the insides before placing the peppers in a zip-top bag in the freezer.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
426 Calories
22g Fat
22g Carbs
35g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 426
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 28%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 147mg 49%
Sodium 1105mg 48%
Total Carbohydrate 22g 8%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 35g
Vitamin C 127mg 637%
Calcium 78mg 6%
Iron 5mg 27%
Potassium 868mg 18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)