One of Hungary’s most comforting home-cooked meals! Tender peppers stuffed with a savory meat and rice filling, gently simmered in a rich paprika tomato sauce. Pure Sunday-dinner comfort 🇭🇺✨
📝 Ingredients (Serves 4–6)
For the Peppers:
6–8 Hungarian wax peppers (or bell peppers)
500 g (1 lb) ground pork or beef (or mix)
½ cup (100 g) uncooked rice
1 small onion, finely grated
1 egg
1 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
Salt & black pepper to taste
For the Tomato Sauce:
2 tbsp oil or lard
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
700 ml (3 cups) tomato passata or crushed tomatoes
1–2 cups water
1 tsp sugar (optional, balances acidity)
Salt to taste
👩🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Prepare the Filling In a bowl, combine ground meat, rice, grated onion, egg, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix gently.
2️⃣ Stuff the Peppers Remove tops and seeds. Fill peppers with the meat mixture (don’t overpack — rice needs space to expand).
3️⃣ Start the Sauce In a large pot, heat oil. Stir in flour and cook 1–2 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from heat and stir in paprika (don’t let it burn).
4️⃣ Add Tomatoes Slowly whisk in tomato passata and water until smooth. Add salt and optional sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer.
5️⃣ Cook the Peppers Place stuffed peppers into the sauce. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 45–60 minutes, until rice and meat are fully cooked.
6️⃣ Serve Warm Spoon plenty of sauce over the peppers. Traditionally served with fresh bread or sometimes mashed potatoes.
💡 Hungarian Tips
Some families add small meatballs to the sauce with leftover filling.
Hungarian wax peppers give the most authentic flavor.
Even better the next day — the flavors deepen beautifully!
If you’d like, I can also write this in your classic cozy Facebook-style post format 😉🇭🇺
