Hungarian stuffed peppers in tomato sauce are a classic comfort dish called töltött paprika in Hungary. They’re usually made with sweet peppers filled with a seasoned meat-and-rice mixture, then simmered in a rich tomato sauce.
🇭🇺 Hungarian Stuffed Peppers (Töltött Paprika)
Ingredients
For the peppers
- 6–8 medium sweet peppers (bell peppers or banana peppers)
- 500 g ground pork (or pork + beef mix)
- 1/2 cup uncooked rice
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp sweet paprika (Hungarian paprika if possible)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Optional: chopped parsley
For the tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp oil or lard
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2–3 tbsp flour (for light thickening, optional)
- 500–700 ml tomato purée/passata
- 1–2 tsp sugar (balances acidity)
- 500–700 ml water or broth
- Salt and pepper
- Optional: bay leaf
🍳 Instructions
1. Prepare the filling
Mix:
- ground meat
- rice (uncooked)
- onion, garlic
- egg
- paprika, salt, pepper
Combine well until evenly mixed.
2. Stuff the peppers
- Remove tops and seeds from peppers
- Fill each pepper loosely (rice expands slightly)
- Don’t overpack or they may split
3. Make the sauce
- Heat oil in a pot
- Sauté onion until soft
- Add flour (optional) and stir briefly
- Add tomato purée + water/broth
- Season with salt, pepper, sugar, bay leaf
- Simmer 10 minutes
4. Cook the peppers
- Place stuffed peppers into the sauce
- Cover and simmer gently for 45–60 minutes
- Stir occasionally but carefully so peppers don’t break
5. Finish
- Check rice is fully cooked
- Adjust seasoning (slightly sweet-sour balance is key)
- Serve hot with bread or boiled potatoes
🍽️ Tips (traditional style)
- Hungarians often use thin, pale yellow peppers, but bell peppers work well.
- The sauce should be slightly sweet, not overly acidic.
- Some families add a few meatballs (falsi töltött paprika) if filling is left over.
If you want, I can also give you a quick version (under 30 minutes prep) or a vegetarian Hungarian-style version.
