Stuffed peppers is a dish found in many cuisines, particularly in Spanish cuisine, and it’s also a very common in Serbian cuisine as well. I grew up on a farm in Serbia with gardens abundantly rich with all the vegetables that go into making stuffed peppers. We just needed to add some meat and we had a healthy and hearty meal. You can make a vegetarian version of this dish or use any kind of ground meat. Get creative by adding raisins or pine nuts to the mixture. Traditionally, a special sauce was made for the stuffed peppers, but you can use your favorite pasta sauce instead. 

Cook 1 cup of rice and set aside. Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté onion, celery and carrots and mushrooms. After a few minutes add the zucchini. Add the meat and cook until meat is done. Remove meat mixture from heat. Add salt and pepper, 1 cup of cooked rice and 2 eggs. Incorporate fresh parsley and garlic.

Stuffed Peppers

Half the peppers or keep them whole. Remove the top stem, seeds and membrane from peppers making sure to leave the lip on the pepper so the mixture and juices remain in the pepper.  Stuff the peppers with the mixture being careful not to overstuff the peppers, you’ll need to leave a little extra space for the rice to expand.  Place the peppers in a roasting pan, add the pasta sauce and enough water to cover the peppers only 1/4 of the way.

Bake on 350′ for 45 minutes or until peppers are tender.