Stuffed vegetables – a firm favourite! During Sukkot, the week-long Jewish harvest festival that closes out around this time each year, stuffed foods are served deliberately — a pepper or a cabbage leaf packed full is a small, edible symbol of a season’s abundance. These stuffed peppers with rice and herbs borrow that same idea: a vegetable grown to its full size, then filled with everything the garden gave up this season.
The filling itself does not need to be overcomplicated — rice, onion, garlic, tinned tomato and a generous handful of soft herbs, with a good glug of Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It goes in at the start to soften the onion and again at the end, raw, to carry the herbs through once the peppers come out of the oven.
Here’s our full stuffed peppers with rice and herbs, from the filling to the last drizzle of oil before serving.
Stuffed Peppers with Rice and Herbs
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190C. Slice the tops off the peppers, remove the seeds and membranes, and stand the peppers upright in a baking dish.
- Heat the Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Stir in the rice and toast for 1-2 minutes, coating it in the oil and onion.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes, until the rice is nearly tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove from the heat and fold through the parsley, dill, oregano and feta (if using). Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the rice mixture into the peppers, packing it gently rather than tightly, and drizzle with a little extra oil.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes, then uncover for a final 10 minutes until the peppers are tender and the tops are lightly golden.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving, finishing with another drizzle of oil and a scattering of herbs.
Notes
We Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The rice filling needs two different jobs done by the same bottle. Early on, Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil softens the onion and garlic over gentle heat before the rice goes in, which is what gives the base of the filling its depth rather than leaving it tasting of plain boiled rice.
Once the filling comes off the heat, a second drizzle goes in raw, stirred through with the parsley and dill. Added cold like this, the oil keeps its peppery, grassy character instead of mellowing out, so the fresh herbs taste like themselves rather than like the inside of an oven.
A final drizzle over the stuffed peppers before they go in to bake stops the exposed rice on top from drying out under the foil.
Our Tips
Pick peppers that stand up on their own. A flat base means they won’t tip over in the baking dish and spill the filling as they cook.
Don’t fully cook the rice before stuffing. It finishes cooking inside the pepper in the oven, so take it off the heat while it still has some bite.
Pack the filling, don’t cram it. A gently filled pepper leaves room for the rice to expand a little further as it finishes cooking.
Keep the dish covered for most of the bake. Foil traps the steam that finishes the rice; only take it off for the last ten minutes to colour the tops.
Add a splash of stock to the baking dish. A little liquid around the peppers stops the bottoms from catching before the rice is done.
Add the fresh herbs at the end, not the start. Stirred in after the filling comes off the heat, parsley and dill keep their colour and sharpness instead of turning dull.
How We Serve It
These come to the table straight from the baking dish, still in their foil, so everyone can see the peppers before they’re plated. A final drizzle of oil over the top at the table does more for flavour than anything added during cooking.
A dollop of plain yoghurt on the side cools down the richness of the rice, and a torn loaf of crusty bread is there to mop up whatever spills out once you cut into one.
Two peppers make a generous main for one person, or serve one each alongside a simple green salad if you’re feeding a table of mixed appetites.
More Ways to Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A bottle of Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil earns its place well beyond one tray of stuffed peppers.
For a hearty pasta salad — it builds the chimichurri dressing that pulls our Summer Solstice Salad together.
For fresh bread off the coals — it goes straight into the dough in our Homemade Roosterkoek.
For a Mediterranean-style skewer — it marinates the lamb and builds the salsa in our Turkish Kebabs with Tomato and Olive Salsa.
For a simple pan-seared chop — it goes into the marinade and the pan in our Greek Lamb Chops.
The Good Stuff About Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin is the top grade an olive oil can carry, which means it’s extracted mechanically, without heat or chemical solvents, and tests below a strict acidity threshold. That’s what gives it the peppery, grassy character a refined oil doesn’t have, and it’s why it still tastes like something even after the stuffed peppers come out of the oven.
250ml – 5L
Bottle Sizes
6x250ml / 6x1L
Case Options
Halaal & Kosher
Certified
2 Years
Shelf Life
Ways to Change It Up
Add ground lamb or beef. Brown 250g with the onion before the rice goes in for a heartier, meat-filled version.
Swap the rice for bulgur or quinoa. Either holds up well to the same tomato and herb filling and cooks in roughly the same time.
Leave out the feta for a dairy-free version. The filling still holds together fine, and an extra drizzle of oil at the end makes up the richness.
Stuff tomatoes or baby marrows instead. Hollow them out the same way and shorten the bake by about ten minutes.
Add a pinch of chilli flakes to the filling. A little heat against the sweetness of the baked pepper works well if your table likes it spicier.
Swap the herbs with the seasons. Mint and dill suit spring; basil and oregano work just as well later in summer.
Questions About Stuffed Peppers with Rice and Herbs
Do I need to par-cook the peppers before stuffing them?
No. Covering the dish with foil for most of the bake steams the peppers tender at the same time as the rice finishes cooking inside them.
Can I make the filling a day ahead?
Yes, the rice filling keeps well in the fridge overnight. Stuff the peppers just before baking so they don’t sit around half-filled.
What’s the best type of rice stuffed peppers with rice and herbs?
A long-grain white rice holds its shape best. Brown rice works too, but needs a longer simmer before it goes into the peppers.
Can I freeze stuffed peppers?
Yes, freeze them unbaked for up to 2 months. Thaw fully in the fridge before baking, adding a few extra minutes under foil.
My peppers keep tipping over in the dish. What am I doing wrong?
Choose peppers with a flat base, and pack them snugly into a dish just large enough to hold them upright so they support each other.
What goes well on the side?
Plain yoghurt, a simple green salad, or crusty bread all work well alongside the rice and herb filling.
Where can I buy Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
It’s available to order directly from oliveoil.co.za and at leading retailers across South Africa.
Ready to Make This?
Get the oil that softens the onion, binds the herbs and finishes the dish before it hits the table.
More From Our Kitchen
Vegetarian Taco Skillet — Malva Pudding — Homemade Roosterkoek — All Recipes
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