Middle Eastern · main

Ground Beef and Feta Stuffed Peppers

Ground Beef and Feta Stuffed Peppers reads umami 6.7, richness 5.5 and salinity 5.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Middle Eastern main, about 1 hr 7 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 7.5 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 4.6 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 3.9 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.3 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.9 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.7 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.7 · Richness 5.5 · Salinity 5.0 · Allium 4.2 · Sweetness 3.7 · Sourness 3.6 · Fruity 3.0 · Funk & Ferment 2.6 · Herbaceous 2.5 · Warm Spice 2.4 · Earthy 2.1 · Nutty 1.5 · Bitterness 1.4 · Citrus 1.1 · Floral 1.1 · Marine & Briny 1.0 · Heat 0.7

What's in it (15)

• bell peppers — 600 g
• olive oil — 27 g
• beef — 680 g
• yellow onion — 110 g
• garlic — 12 g
• cumin — 7 g
• cinnamon — 5 g
• allspice — 3 g
• salt — 7 g
• black pepper — 3 g
• long-grain white rice — 177 g
• tomatoes — 411 g
• feta cheese — 227 g
• parsley — 20 g
• tomato sauce — 355 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 7 min (1 hr 1 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 106 kcal, 8.2 g protein, 3.6 g fat, 10.4 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (12 steps)

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the peppers and blanch until just pliable but still holding their shape, 3 to 4 minutes; this brief precook keeps the peppers from tasting raw and crunchy once the filling is baked through. Drain well and stand the peppers cut-side up in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into small crumbles with a spoon, until deeply browned and reaches 160°F internally with no pink remaining, 7 to 8 minutes.
3. Transfer the beef to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the skillet.
4. Add the onion to the fat remaining in the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Add the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and allspice and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
6. Return the browned beef to the skillet along with the rice, drained diced tomatoes, salt, and black pepper, tossing until combined.
7. Remove the skillet from the heat and fold in half of the feta and half of the parsley.
8. Divide the filling among the peppers, mounding it slightly on top.
9. Pour the tomato sauce over and around the peppers, then cover the dish tightly with foil.
10. Bake in a 375°F oven, covered, until the peppers are fork-tender and the filling is hot throughout, 30 to 35 minutes.
11. Uncover, scatter the remaining feta over the tops, and bake uncovered until the cheese softens and the sauce is bubbling at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes.
12. Let rest 5 minutes, then top with the remaining parsley and serve family-style, spooning extra sauce over each pepper.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Kofta-Spiced Beef and Rice Stuffed Zucchini — Middle Eastern
• Butternut Squash Soup With Seared Radicchio — Other
• Ribollita — Italian
• Greek Butter Beans in Tomato Sauce (Gigantes Plaki) — Greek
• Old-Fashioned Beef Stew with Root Vegetables — American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.