Looking for a tasty stuffed peppers recipe? Stop looking; you’ve found a simple & traditional Croatian recipe known in Croatia as punjene paprike.
Get stuffed… whoops, I mean, get stuffing. There are loads of stuffed vegetables that you’ll see dished up here in Croatia and around the Balkans. Today, you’re being served stuffed peppers or stuffed capsicums for my Aussie readers.
Stuffed peppers are called punjene paprike in Croatian.
Stuffed Peppers are a hearty dish of mincemeat & rice. Typically served with mashed potato or sometimes rice.
You’ll find stuffed peppers on offer in Croatia as soon as the peppers are ripe.
In our case, the vegetable garden politely made some available for picking in early July.
Every Croatian I know has their variation of this recipe, and they, of course, all claim that their way is the best way to make them. Also, in my years of being in a Croat family, I have noticed that people have different ways of eating them. Here are the three ways that I have identified.
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Scoop
Scoop out the stuffing & leave behind the pepper. This, to me, is such a waste as the pepper becomes so soft and sweet during the cooking process.
Slice
You can slice the pepper into sections as I do, taking turns to add some mashed potato and sauce with each mouthful.
Mash
The most popular way I have seen stuffed peppers eaten is to mash the entire plate, peppers, potatoes, sauce, and all into a mushy mess. This way, you can shovel the contents more quickly into your mouth.
Have I missed a way to eat them? Let me know in the comments section below.
I first made stuffed peppers after my Mother-in-Law gave me a cookbook of Croatian Cooking for Christmas, and over the years, I have added to and changed up the recipe to my taste.
If You’re Going To Make Them, Here Are Some Tips In Advance From My Kitchen To Yours
- Eating these are even better after a few hours or even the next day. I suggest you make these up on a Sunday & then you can enjoy them after a hard day at the office.
- If you’re like me and love the flavor of smoked bones, throw some into the pot when you pour in the sauce.
- Ask your butcher to mince your meat for you freshly – you’ll taste the difference.
- Use a mix of yellow, red, or green capsicums. It always looks so lovely to see the different colors on the plate.
- Dig out from the back of your cupboard the largest saucepan you can find. If you don’t have one, I suggest you borrow one from your neighbor. In return, offer them a pepper & you’ll be friends for life. The wider the pot, the better. That way, you won’t need to pile them on top of one another, and they’ll be less likely to split and break.
Here Is My Recipe
Croatian Stuffed Peppers Recipe (Punjene Paprike)
Looking for a tasty stuffed peppers recipe? Stop looking, you've found a simple & traditional Croatian recipe, known in Croatia as punjene paprike.
Ingredients
The Peppers & Stuffing
- 8-10 medium-sized peppers (I use all colors, though many say red are best)
- 1 kg of minced meat. I prefer 1/2 veal and 1/2 beef (2.2lbs)
- Pinch of salt
- Cracked pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon of smoked ground paprika
- 1 tablespoon of hot ground paprika (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of mixed dried herbs (optional)
- 1 cup of uncooked rice
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons of soda water or a pinch of bicarbonate soda
- 2 large cloves of chopped fresh garlic
- 1/2 cup of freshly chopped parsley
- 200 grams finely diced speck (7 oz) You can cut this back if you do not like too much of a smokey flavor
The Sauce
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 finely diced medium onion
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 liters stock (or water) (8.5 cups)
- Pinch of Vegeta (optional)
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
The Peppers & Stuffing
- Take 8-10 medium-sized peppers, and carefully cut out the top and set aside the as you'll use this as a lid for the pepper later. Scoop out the insides and be sure to remove all of the seeds and any stringy pieces. Wash the lids and peppers and allow them to dry upside down on paper towel while you make the stuffing
- To make the stuffing, add all the ingredients to a large bowl and use your hands to lightly mix until combined. Make sure the bowl is big enough for you to be able to use your hands to mix it well without spilling it all over the floor (trust me, it happens)
- Flip the peppers over and fill them with the stuffing until they are almost full. But do not overfill them. The rice expands during cooking and they'll burst leaving you a hideous mess in your saucepan. Leave the lids off for the moment
- Arrange the stuffed peppers in the saucepan. It's better if they are gently packed in so they don't flip over & don't squeeze them in so tight, as they'll bust open when they expand. This may take you several minutes to do, but trust me it is well worth it at the end when your peppers are not split open
- Add in 2 bay leaves and a stick of celery. No need to chop this, as it's just for flavour. Set aside, while you make the sauce
The Sauce
- In a separate saucepan on medium heat add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and fry 1 finely diced medium onion
- Once onions are transparent, add in 2 tablespoons of flour and fry until light brown. Add into the pan 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 2 liters of homemade stock (or water), along with a Pinch of Vegeta and add salt & pepper to your taste
- Stir continuously until the sauce comes to a boil. Turn off and slowly pour over your peppers. Be sure to pour the sauce over each pepper as well as around each one. The sauce should cover the peppers. If it doesn't, and this can happen, just add in a little more stock or water. If you are adding in smoked bones, pop them in now
- Place the top of the pepper back on; it acts like a mini lid. If you don't keep it, it's okay; nothing bad will happen
- Shake the saucepan just a little; you want to be sure that the sauce is evenly spread. Bring to the boil on a stovetop, and then turn down to a gentle simmer. Cook on the stovetop for approx 2 hours, occasionally shaking the saucepan. This is important to keep the sauce evenly spread and to stop the peppers from sticking & burning. Add in more water as they cook if you need
- Once ready, allow them to cool a little. They'll taste better if you can resist the temptation. Serve with mashed potato or rice - and if you don't manage to eat them all in one sitting, you can keep these in the refrigerator for a few days. I can't say how many days, as they never last that long in my house
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Hmm that's sounds so yummy I love the detail you write ,
These look delicious. We had them in Greece and Turkey, but I'm imagining the Croatian version is distinct and wonderful. Can't wait to try them. :)
Yuuuuuum O!
Yummy! Please make some for us when we come to Privlaka!
Looks delicious! Would love to see some more of your receipes soon!
I didn't pick Peppers! They look delicious.
oh man, those sounds delicious! I would def. love them with mashed potatoes. :)
These sound amazing!!
Hi SJ,my friend Zdenka ,bakes hers in the oven (very un Croatian ) the result is that the peppers do not need to be watched as much ie shaking the pot etc.my mum has a fit every time I change traditional methods.!!!!
Finally posted my vego version of your recipe! Loved it, thanks SJ!!
YAY! I’ll take a look at the recipe soon. So cool that you took inspiration from my recipe.
Looking forward to making this dish… already have the ingredients, but was wondering if I need to cover the pot while the peppers are simmering for 2 hrs.?
I do, with the lid slightly off.
my svekrva makes it with cheese inside…i dont know the recipe but she stuffs it woth cheese, its amazing!!
Cheese? Ohhh I love me some cheese. I must figure out how for next paprika season.
Hi SJ, trying them out tonight for David & then tomorrow nights dinner for the boys! Here’s a 2 photo’s, the 2 youngest helping me in the kitchen, then the finished result!! Looking forward to your stuffed cabbage recipe !!! Love to you and your boys xxx
Awesome! I am so glad you tried them. How did they turn out? (I could not see any photos though…..)
They turned out wonderfully, looks like it didn’t like me trying to up load photo’s, will have to try again another time. Niw when will I see the stuffed cabbage receipe, David is still dreaming of those from your engagement party!
Thank you for this glorious recipe! I will make this tomorrow night.
Did you end of making these? How’d they turn out Chibitika?
I’ve been eating the punjena paprika my entire life (I’m a scooper, can’t stand the taste of boiled paprika), and this is the first instance I’ve heart of putting lids on paprika. Great blog, BTW.
The paprika is the best part Marijan. Tell me next when you make them, and I will pop over and finish your plate. And thanks ever so kindly on your kind words.
They sound great! – Just a couple of (really daft) questions regarding the ingredients: Speck – is this some kind of ham? never heard of it (!!) and vegeta -a herb? Please help?! :-)
Sue, sorry I should have explained those two things. Speck is ham that is dried and cured. It is also the fattier cuts. Ohh so tasty. You could also use ham / bacon, but my guess is that in Spain you have yummy Iberico Speck to choose from..no? Also vegeta is a Croatian cooking staple, it’s a seasoning & you can find it on Amazon, or if you want let me know your address and I will gladly post you some.
Thanks for that! I’m sure the Iberico ham will suffice – as for the vegeta, I’ve had a look at the amazon link and seen the ingredients – I think I’ll have a go at concocting something a little more natural (no offence, but I avoid things like monosodium glutamate and disodium inosinate wherever I can) :-)
Ohhh but thats where all the flavour is…. :) I’d love to know know what you concoct instead. You’re so very healthy, it’s inspiring. I am so lazy…
OK – So I’ve been all over the interweb, researching, and (1) Good news: you can buy from the same manufacturer MSG free vegeta: . (2) There are hundreds of ‘home-made’ recipes, all of which have different ingredients. (3) I think I’ll just use a strong (reduced), home-made, vegetable stock instead, as the dehydrated vegetables in vegeta (carrot, parsley, parsnip, celery, onion, leaves (??)) are what I would normally use to make a veggie stock (well, more or less). As the recipe only asks for a ‘pinch’ of the stuff, anyway, I don’t think it’ll make much difference :-)
It isn’t lazy to use these products, not at all, I occasionally use them but my ‘curious’ side always likes to try and find an alternative, more natural, way of cooking. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to hug a tree……
Hello there tree hugger! Did you end up making these? How’d they turn out?
Nothing wrong with MSG it adds great flavour and is a natural product.
These look great. I’ve made stuffed peppers many times but not in quite this way. Definitely something I’ll be trying. Pinned! Thanks so much for linking up to #recipeoftheweek. There’s a fresh linky live now – would love you to pop over and join in with another fab recipe :)
Cheers! Sorry I have been travelling, I’ll join tomorrow. I keep forgetting. Do you have an email reminder for your linky? Or am I being too lazy :)
Just ate these today, one of the best local dishes definitely!
Yup I agree.
Interesting! Croatian stuffed peppers are quite similar to Turkish ones (biber dolması). Minus the paprika and speck. However, now that I live in porkland, I could definitely see adding some bacony bits to the tomato sauce for flavor. ;-) We also serve our peppers with plain or garlicky yogurt to plop on top. Thanks for some more inspiration!
Hmmm, yes I could see some yoghurt going with this. Pork products rock! I could never do away with them – ever. Thanks for stopping by :)
Hi! I love this recipe, my baka made it alllll the time, but sadly she passed before I could get the recipe, so thank you so much! Just a question, what kind of stock do you use? Beef, vegetable? Thanks :)
Ohh sorry, I missed this question! You’re so very welcome, try mine and add and change things up a little till you find how your Baka made it. I usually make a homemade vegetable stock, just cause it’s easy. But you can use any stock you like, you could even add a little extra Vegeta if you’re short on time :) I’d love to know how you get on and what you end up changing :)
Love this recipe! Only I used pork mince and I fried it off briefly first. My peppers turned out perfect and everyone loved them. I moved interstate recently so it was a nice reminder of home and my Baba’s cooking. Thank you!
I have now made these twice following this recipe. Perfect both times! Love it. Invited another Croatain family to try it and they agreed the recipe was delicious. Thank you!
AMAZING… I love this recipe…. Husband does too. Since there are only two of us, I had extra filing in which I made a meatloaf with. I poured extra sauce on top and baked it until the liquid was absorbed. The peppers are the perfect dish for an elegant (no stress or fuss) dinner party, I will definitely make this again. Thank you
Oh yay! I am so glad you liked it. And what a brilliant idea for the extra dish. These as so much better the next day, so you can make it way before your guests arrive. Thanks for coming back and letting me know, it really made my day.
I am a little dissapointed :( I am not sure what I did wrong but the rice in the middle is not cooked. What kind of rice do you use? Also they are a little bit dry. I used pork and beef.
Ohh no! I’ve used several types (just whatever I have at the time) mostly regular long grain white rice, but also carnaroli rice. My family here in Croatia uses partial cooked rice – so it’s safe to say they all should work. Did you have the liquid level up over the top for the duration of the cooking? I’d put some vege stock (or water) in the pot and put them back for another 10 mins. Lemme know how you get on.
I’m curious what the bicarbonate of soda does? I am about to make this recipe for my son’s 36th birthday…he visited Croatia when he was 18 and he’s STILL asks for Croatian Stuffed Peppers as a special treat! Also, a lot of recipes use carrots and onions in the mixture…how’s that sound to you?
Hi Erica,
My auntie said that the soda water makes the meat more “fluffy” not so compact yet firm, because of the bubbles in the soda. You can try it both ways (normal and soda water) and you will see the difference in texture. Soda water also gives the meat a different taste. Not so “flat”.
This is what I was told :)
Ahhh good to know. Thanks for that.
My dad grew up cooking with my great grandmother and grandmother, both full blood Croatian. He used to make these all the time amongst other recipes. My dad passed away 2 and 1/2 years ago very young and I was unable to get all of the family recipes. I’ve been craving these peppers since he passed and tonight, in his honor I will make them like the old days. It will be nice to have again and fondly remember my dad, grandmother and great grandmother. Hvala!
Molim!!!!!! I am so glad you found them – these are easy to adapt so after you make them the 1st time you may need to add / remove stuff to taste like his. Everyone I know makes them differently. I hope they come close to his for you!!! What other recipes you wanna know and we can share them with you.
I made these for our dinner tonight, and once again…you steered me right (I made your brodet recipe a little while ago – delicious!). My husband, who is ho-hum on stuffed peppers, LOVED these. I didn’t use speck, and I substituted ketchup for tomato paste (too lazy to make a special trip to the grocery)…but it still worked. THANK YOU!!!
Yay!!! Super. Good to know about ketchup – and now you can say you have your OWN recipe. Brava Maryann xx
I cook them often !
Mine are cooking right now
I had this in Zagreb at a relatives house. Excellent!
Almost time for my yearly attempt to do this justice
Every single recipe of SJ’s that I’ve made has been a winner!! My husband has long professed that he is not a fan of stuffed peppers. Then I made this recipe. Now he is a fan!
Some would say Serbian stuffed peppers haha
The chick from MKR would say that they are Albanian
Made them only last week
Winter staple at my home. Considering the fact both of my parents are Croatian, it’s not surprising :)
Every Croatian knows how to make them. I make them all the time. Excellent winter food.
The dish is originally osmanic- nowdays Turkey. But do not bother, great anyway,))
Love your recipe. I usually like to cook (simmer) mine for 20-30mins (until mince is cooked). This avoids the peppers sticking onto the bottom of the pan and give the peppers a slightly different clean, crisp texture. It’s a super fast dish to prepare and cook (great for time poor cooks like me :-)
I am SO excited to find this recipe. We just returned from Croatia and had this dish at Villa Spiza in Split. I have been craving it ever since coming home, it was so delicious! Excited to try!!!
I just made these last night! Jessica this is the recipe!
my speciality and my favourite dish :)
They look great!
They are?
Done. I’ll see if I can get mini coloured peppers, put up a red, green & yellow on each plate… hmmmm
Btw, is it pronounced
Poon- jean?
Poon yeen?
Poon yene?
Poon-yea-neh
spot on except my Mum cooked the filling first, its amazing when stuffed into big sliced in half jalepenos too
Ohhhh I wanna try that addition!
Ohhhhhhh that’s a nice touch. I may try that.
Not sure how it’s pronounced
Mine ….made 20 ….took all day!!
Not as good as my mama’s…..but good!!❤️
looks good!!!
Poon yene is probably the easiest way to pronounce these beauties….
Which means stuffed or filled peppers :-)
I would say poon-yen-ne
I should have listened to Dad and went to Croatian school instead of playing soccer….
We ate plenty of those this summer!!!
Delícias da cozinha croata…
My Mum makes sauce with tomato juice like she would for Sarma.
What’s the soda water or bicarbonate soda for?
I think it’s to tenderize the meat. I got this recipe from my MIL years ago, and added to it. Hers has the bicarb.
This was absolutely delicious. I made it as per the recipe (except for the bicarb, which I think is superfluous), with a generous hand to the garlic and black pepper. My ex-mother-in-law is Croatian, but I think I outdid her this time – adult children thought it was fabulous, especially the smoky flavor from the speck.
Also, I cooked it in the oven in a baking tray, covered in foil – this meant that the peppers were nicely spread out and they all had an even covering of sauce.
Glad to hear! My MIL also does it this way – but I do it on the stove. Dobar tek!
How long did you cook it? What temperature?
My husband is Croatian and I was so happy to find this wonderful recipe – it’s absolutely delicious and “passed” his croatian test hehe he told me tastes just like his moms which is a big deal! Amazing and delicious thank you for this!
I am Croatian and my wife is Puerto Rican. Have made many Croatian dishes and deserts. Wife cleans her plate every time I cook.
This was delicious even though I had no spec, onions or vegeta. Will definitely make it again.
If you prefer a shortcut you can cook 2 pounds of ground beef seasoned with dry Italian herbs and salt. Cook one cup of rice than mix wit ground beef when cooked.
Stuff peppers with mix and replace tops. Put in pot large enough to hold five peppers standing up.
Put five cans of tomato soup and five vans of water and salt to taste in pot.
When sauce begins to boil turn flame down to simmer and put lid loosely on pot.
Simmer for hour or until peppers are tender.
Serve pepper on plate with instant mashed potatoes and sauce spooned over pepper and potato.
Any crusty bread and white wine goes great with meal.
what is speck? hope my butcher has some. IM creation background so would like to try this recipe. also instead of water, can you use chicken broth Campbells from the carton? as that is what homeade stock is.
tnx.
sue
It’s always quicker to use Google than comment, hope you figured it out. If not this will help: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Spek
Hi there. I’m making these peppers now and when I made th sauce , it only filled the pot not even halfway so did u mean the full pepper has to be fully covered ?
If I just add hot water will that water down the sauce ? Lose the flavour. I just used Campbell’s broth and when I made the sauce it’s still thin. I’m assuming it will thicken while cooking ?
Please let me know. On the stove now :) tnx a bunch
Yes, the entire pepper has to be covered. It may water the sauce down, but the flavor is absorbed by the rice and meet – the sauce is not mandatory. Hope they turned out well.
As a matter of fact, my husband and I are making stuffed capsicum today. He is both Croatian (born there) and Australian (raised there.) We’ve definitely done this with rice, but for something different, try barley in the meat mixture. Never thought to have it over mashed potatoes before, but I definitely will now!
Hi
I made your recipe and it’s very delicious. Took me back to my childhood????I read that your MIL puts hers in the oven and just wanted to ask in what temp and for how long. I had to spilt it over two pans so wanted to see if the oven would be easier thanks again for sharing your wonderful recipes.
When she does them in the oven, it’s a whole different recipe/method.
Looking forward to trying this :-) Should the sauce be repeatedly topped up to cover the peppers for the whole of the 2 hrs or should it reduce down by the end?
Thanks
It can reduce a little, but you need to make sure it’s covered enough the meat cooks.
I make these bad boys frequently as it is my favourite dish. My mum used to use the long yellow eoropean peppers, but living in Queensland they are harder to come by. This dish also freezes well and recently I pulled out a batch and used it as a pasta saucewith the meatball. My God….. Better than any Italian sauce,so easy as the sauce is already cooked, just cook pasta and get ready to blow your mind.
YUM!!!! Great idea to use as pasta sauce…. de-lish
Punjena paprika is in Serbian. In Croatian je punjena rajcica:)
WRONG. Sorry, but punjena rajčiće are stuffed tomatoes. You should really fact-check before you try to correct someone…enjoy the stuffed veggies whichever way you go.
I love the comments (except the rude one). I am Dutch and live in Singapore but have a family connection in Croatia. We love stuffed Bell Peppers but I am trying to grow (Hydroponically) the same variety of Bell Pepper we eat when we are in Croatia. Typically light green in color and the wall of the fruit is thinner than the ordinary bell peppers we buy here.
Does anyone know the variety of the bell peppers that are grown in Croatia and that are typically used for this delicious meal?
Sorry, I have no idea. I’d suggest asking at a gardening center who may know the plant varieties much better. Dobar tek.
The variety is called babura in Croatian. https://www.seeds-gallery.shop/en/home/sweet-white-pepper-seeds-belinda.html
John, I have been using Cubanelle peppers. They are the closest to the Croatian peppers that I’ve been able to find in America. I haven’t found any plants but can find them in the grocery. They aren’t as big as the regular green, yellow and red ones, but they work great.
Go Girl luv it….. sometimes we Need to Teach People…..
No. Rajčica is a tomato in Croatian. This is not a stuffed tomato recipe.
My parents are Croatian and my late precious Mama made theses all the time. They are my Aussie husband’s favourite and this was the last meal she cooked for us before passing away. She used to fry/sauté the raw rice in oil first so that may help with the rice not being properly cooked as what happened with yours.
Cheers!
Thanks for the tip – though my rice is always cooked. I never take them off until they the rice is cooked..even if it takes 2 hours.
What’s the difference if you cook on the stove top or place them in the oven besides evenly being cooked. Its hard to find a big oven roaster to cover the tops of the peppers plus the tomato paste topping for the flavor. What’s your preference?
I have never cooked them in the oven, so I can’t say, sorry.
In my area of the the US, I found Hungarian Wax Peppers. Would these be close to the ones used in Croatia? Thank you.
I really do not think it matters – in Australia, I used to use any pepper and they were all great.
Did this recipe last year February and came out fantastic and now I’m on holidays will do again.i put in a smoked hock leg also and speck as love the taste.i borrowed my Croatian mums big pot today as is massive.mum hasn’t cooked this recipe for years so up to me.i freeze so many also after so I can enjoy regular over next few weeks.mum said to put some celery in also and basil which is ok
6/8 large peppers beheaded and cleaned.
2 cups rice to 4 water cooked and drained. Add 1 large onion diced, fresh garlic, salt, pepper,nutmeg and parsley. 500grams mince of choice raw. 1 raw egg. Mix together.
Stuff pepper and secure with tooth picks matching their tops.
In a large pot 200gram butter, 2 large tins or boxes of tomato puree, 2 tins of stock or water, salt, pepper, 2 Tsp sweet Paprika and vinegar and 1Tsp sugar. Add more liquid or tomato juice as you slowly cook for 90 minutes.
Serve and enjoy the one plated dish.
Made this last night, the flavour was amazing but sadly the meat rice filling was in bigger harder clumps not falling loosely as normal….I’m trying to work out where I went wrong.
I usually cook the rice (30%) before making this dish, could it be that or did I overwork it when mixing the mixture??
Your help would be greatly appreciated :)
Oh I never cook the rice first, we just add the raw rice, as it swells during the cooking process and absorbs the liquid.
I can’r find a temp for the baking????
hmm…re-guessing, i’ll set it at 375…
while keeping an eye on it through the glass.
Ben, the amatuer home cook for 2.
retired senior couple
Ben & Dee
Oh no, this does not go in the oven. This goes on the stovestop, in a pot….