🌶️ Hungarian Stuffed Peppers (Töltött Paprika)

Prep the peppers
- Wash peppers, cut off tops, and remove seeds carefully. Set aside.
Make the filling
- In a bowl, mix ground meat, rice, onion, garlic, egg, paprika, salt, pepper, and parsley until well combined.
- Stuff each pepper loosely (rice will expand as it cooks).
Make the tomato sauce base
- In a large pot, heat oil/lard.
- Add flour, stirring constantly to make a light roux.
- Remove from heat briefly, stir in paprika.
- Slowly whisk in tomato juice until smooth.
- Return to heat, season with sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer.
Cook the peppers
- Gently place stuffed peppers into the sauce.
- Cover and simmer on low heat for 45–60 minutes, until peppers are tender and rice is cooked.
Serve
- Serve hot with fresh bread or over mashed potatoes.
- Some like a dollop of sour cream on top.

✨ Tips & Variations:

In Hungary, sometimes a few small meatballs are shaped with leftover filling and cooked alongside the peppers.
Using Hungarian wax peppers gives the dish its authentic flavor, but bell peppers work well too.
The sauce should be rich but slightly tangy—add more sugar if tomatoes are too acidic.

Would you like me to also share a grandma-style baked version (where the peppers cook slowly in the oven instead of simmering on the stove)?

Kitchen Essentials For This Recipe