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Dinner Pork Romanian
4.6 from 71 votes

Romanian Stuffed Peppers (Ardei Umpluti)

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By: Joanna Cismaru 88 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Romanian Stuffed Peppers (Ardei Umpluti) uses sweet yellow Hungarian peppers, stuffed with a mixture of ground pork, rice and herbs and slowly cooked in a simple tomato sauce with sour cream. It’s a taste of the old country that is to die for!

a large pot full of stuffed peppers and sauce

People always ask me what are some of the authentic Romanian dishes and I have a few recipes here on the blog and to this day, one of my favorite has to be these stuffed peppers. This is my mom’s recipe that she’s been making ever since I can remember and she thankfully passed it down to me. Luckily for all my readers my mom also taught me to share, so share this delicious recipe I will!

If you’ve never tried Romanian Stuffed peppers then you are in for a treat, these savory little flavor bombs are packed full of delicious ground pork and fluffy white rice. It’s all cooked down in a tomato sauce that is so good you’ll be tempted to sip it right out of the pan.

What Is Ardei Umpluti?

If you’re trying to learn a new language, here’s a little Romanian for you! So “ardei umpluti” literally means stuffed peppers. Now stuffed peppers are a dish that exists all around the world using a variety of meats, starches, and cheeses, but none are quite like their Romanian brother.

This recipe is chock full of fresh dill and parsley studded ground pork stuffed into sweet peppers, all swimming in a delicious tomato sauce made creamy with a little sour cream.

overhead shot of all ingredients needed to make stuffed peppers

Ingredients

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Peppers

  • Peppers – We’re using medium sized Hungarian yellow sweet peppers but if you can find any regular yellow bell peppers will work just fine.
  • Pork – We’re looking for ground pork, as fat as possible. The reason for this is so that our meat in the stuffed peppers is nice and juicy and not hard like a brick.
  • Rice – Use any kind you’d like just be sure it’s uncooked. I usually prefer to use a long grain rice.
  • Onion – Chopped up, be sure to look for something that cooks down well like white or yellow onion.
  • Egg – This will bind all of our filling ingredients together nicely.
  • Herbs – Fresh dill and parsley chopped up fine. The more fresh dill the better. Trust me on this one.
  • Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.

Sauce

  • Tomato – Either puree and passata either can be used interchangeably in this recipe.
  • Sour cream – Just a dollop of this will add some creamy tang to our dish.
  • Water – To thin out our sauce and give us a better consistency.
  • Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
process shots showing how to make stuffed peppers

How To Make Romanian Stuffed Peppers

  1. Preheat your oven: Arrange a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 375 F degrees.
  2. Prepare the peppers: Prepare the peppers by cutting off the tops of the peppers. Remove and discard any seeds and membranes from the insides of the peppers. To keep the peppers from falling over while cooking, cut a small flat piece off the bottom of the pepper so that it has a more even bottom and they’ll stand up nicely.
  3. Combine the filling: In a large bowl combine the ground pork, rice, onion, egg, dill, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well. Stuff each pepper really well and arrange them in a big pot standing up.
  4. Prepare the sauce: To make the sauce whisk together the tomato puree with the sour cream, water, salt and pepper. Pour this over the peppers. Add more water if needed, there should be enough water to come about half way up the peppers.
  5. Cook the peppers: Cover the pot with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours covered. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 45 minutes to an hour uncovered. The peppers are ready when you insert a fork in a pepper and it goes easy through the skin of the pepper and meat, and the rice is cooked.
  6. Finish the dish: Serve these hot with lots of sauce and a dollop of sour cream on top, along side some crusty bread for dipping in the sauce.

Other Cooking Options

You don’t just have to make these in the oven, they cook up perfectly in the slow cooker or pressure cooker! If you’re worried about the sour cream in the sauce, just be sure to combine the sauce before adding it to your slow/pressure cooker – it should be fine if pre mixed!

Slow cooker

  • Follow this recipe instructions listed above but instead of using a pot or dutch oven, place the peppers and sauce in your slow cooker.
  • Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Pressure Cooker

  • Follow the directions as listed above but place your peppers on the trivet provided to prevent them from burning.
  • Close the lid of your pressure cooker according to the manufacture instructions.
  • Cook for 8 minutes on the manual setting and allow the pressure to release naturally when done cooking

How To Serve

If you want some carbs to bulk up this meal and soak up all that delicious sauce, I have a few suggestions.

  • Traditionally this meal is served with an extra dollop of sour cream and some good crusty bread.
  • Some soft dinner rolls.
  • Spooned over Mashed Potatoes.
  • Served over fluffy white rice to soak up all that delicious sauce.
a stuffed pepper topped with sauce and dill over mashed potatoes

Some Tips

  1. These stuffed peppers are best when made with sweet yellow Hungarian peppers or sweet yellow dove bell peppers.
  2. If you do not have tomato puree or passata you can also use tomato paste instead, about 3 or 4 tbsp and just whisk it with enough water to cover the peppers about half way through. Tomato juice will also work.
  3.  I have personally tried stuffing these peppers with chicken, turkey, or beef – but my favorite is always pork! Pork stays so juicy and moist, so make sure it’s not the extra lean, the fattier the pork the juicier the stuffed pepper. Same with cabbage rolls.

Leftovers

Fridge

These peppers will keep for 3 – 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Freezer

Be sure the meat is cooked all the way through and that the peppers are entirely cool before placing in the freezer. Put the peppers in a freezer safe container or wrap them individually with plastic wrap before placing in a freezer bag. This will keep for 6 – 8 months. Allow the dish to thaw completely in the fridge before allowing to warm back up to temperature in the oven.

a large pot full of stuffed peppers and sauce

More Delicious Recipes To Try:

  • Romanian Meatball Soup
  • Cabbage Rolls
  • Creamy Polenta
  • Romanian Meatballs
  • Traditional Romanian Polenta
  • Cabbage Soup
  • Beef Bourguignon
  • Hungarian Goulash

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

romanian stuffed peppers in a pot
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4.64 from 71 votes

Romanian Stuffed Peppers (Ardei Umpluti)

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 2 hours 30 minutes
Total 2 hours 45 minutes
Rate Recipe
I grew up with these Romanian Stuffed Peppers (Ardei Umpluti) and to this day it's one of my favorite dishes ever. Using sweet yellow Hungarian peppers, stuffed with a mixture of ground pork, rice and herbs and slowly cooked in a simple tomato sauce with sour cream. 
10

Ingredients

For Peppers

  • 10 medium peppers
  • 1 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 cup rice (uncooked)
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup fresh dill (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

For Sauce

  • 2 cups tomato puree (or passata)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Arrange a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 375 F degrees.
  • Prepare the peppers by cutting off the tops of the peppers. Remove and discard any seeds and membranes from the insides of the peppers. To keep the peppers from falling over while cooking, cut a small flat piece off the bottom of the pepper so that it has a more even bottom.
  • In a large bowl combine the ground pork, rice, onion, egg, dill, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well. Stuff each pepper really well and arrange them in a big pot standing up. I used a large 5 quart oval Dutch Oven with a lid.
  • To make the sauce whisk together the tomato puree with the sour cream, water, salt and pepper. Pour this over the peppers. Add more water if needed, there should be enough water to come about half way up the peppers.
  • Cover the pot with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours covered. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 45 minutes to an hour uncovered. The peppers are ready when you insert a fork in a pepper and it goes easy through the skin of the pepper and meat, and the rice is cooked.
  • Serve these hot with lots of sauce and a dollop of sour cream on top, along side some crusty bread for dipping in the sauce.

Video

Notes

These stuffed peppers are best when made with sweet yellow Hungarian peppers or sweet yellow dove bell peppers. 
If you do not have tomato puree or passata you can also use tomato paste instead, about 3 or 4 tbsp and just whisk it with enough water to cover the peppers about half way through.
These peppers will keep for 3 – 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Be sure the meat is cooked all the way through and that the peppers are entirely cool before placing in the freezer. Put the peppers in a freezer safe container or wrap them individually with plastic wrap before placing in a freezer bag. This will keep for 6 – 8 months. Allow the dish to thaw completely in the fridge before allowing to warm back up to temperature in the oven.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
 

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1pepperCalories: 291kcal (15%)Carbohydrates: 19g (6%)Protein: 15g (30%)Fat: 18g (28%)Saturated Fat: 7g (44%)Cholesterol: 71mg (24%)Sodium: 309mg (13%)Potassium: 700mg (20%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 1020IU (20%)Vitamin C: 105.6mg (128%)Calcium: 57mg (6%)Iron: 2.3mg (13%)
© Author Joanna Cismaru

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

romanian stuffed peppers in a pot

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Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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88 Comments
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Joan Erickson
Joan Erickson
Posted: 5 months ago

5 stars
Great recipe. I did make a few little changes. I added a bunch of chopped fresh spinach and a half bunch of chopped fresh parsley. Mixed with a half can of beef broth mixed with stewed tomatoes.

0
Reply
Connie
Connie
Posted: 6 months ago

Have you ever used a non-dairy substitute for the sour cream? Coconut milk? What would you suggest as an alternative?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Connie
Posted: 6 months ago

I have not, always used sour cream. I think coconut milk would be a great substitute or a lactose-free sour cream.

0
Reply
Janet T
Janet T
Posted: 6 months ago

It was actually really easy and the sauce was so very good!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Janet T
Posted: 6 months ago

Glad you enjoyed it!

0
Reply
Dave C
Dave C
Posted: 1 year ago

An hour and a half cooking time seems really long. Can you cut the cooking time by parboiling the peppers before stuffing?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Dave C
Posted: 1 year ago

It’s really more about the rice not the peppers. I suppose you could use cooked rice and then shorten the time, I’ve never done them that way. This is the only way we ever make them.

0
Reply
Theresa Petroski
Theresa Petroski
Posted: 1 year ago

I’m making this recipe today and I’m super excited about it!!! I’m a little nervous about using uncooked rice, lol. For my Galumkis I usually use cooked rice. Is there a certain type of rice I should be using??? Love your recipes by the way!!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Theresa Petroski
Posted: 1 year ago

You can use a medium or long grain rice. Don’t worry about using uncooked rice, the peppers are in the oven for quite a bit and there’s lots of liquid in the pot so lots of time for the rice to cook.

0
Reply
Toni Oros
Toni Oros
Posted: 1 year ago

I have one Hungarian and one Romanian Church cookbooks from the 60″s. Both call for tomato juice and sugar or tomato soup. Your thoughts?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Toni Oros
Posted: 1 year ago

Sure, you can definitely use tomato juice, I used passata mixed with some water so you basically end up with the same thing. A bit of sugar is also a good idea to cut out some acidity, though I don’t usually taste it, especially once I add lots of sour cream to mine. 🙂

0
Reply
Bogdan R
Bogdan R
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
Great traditional recipe! I like green peppers for it but my wife likes the red ones best, so those are the ones I’m using most often.

0
Reply
Simona
Simona
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
Just like it’s meant to be! Thank you

0
Reply
Marilyn P.
Marilyn P.
Posted: 2 years ago

4 stars
My family enjoyed this recipe. I married into a Romanian family and have been trying to cook some of the basics. I used ground turkey, hit the dill hard, and used Mexican yellow peppers (which are MUCH bigger). It went over well as a nice lighter poultry version to my MIL’s beef/pork sarmale filling version. I had trouble with the volumes since my peppers were huge. I could only fit 7 in my 7 quart Dutch oven. I served mine with Jo’s mamaliga recipe which I was told was weird. Oh well. I will certainly make these again.

0
Reply
Jen jarvis
Jen jarvis
Posted: 2 years ago

Do you think this would work with courgettes/zucchini, too? Little boats? I think I’ll try both.

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Jen jarvis
Posted: 2 years ago

Definitely try it out!! The cook time may vary, but it’s an excellent idea!

0
Reply
Bogdan R
Bogdan R
Reply to  Jen jarvis
Posted: 1 year ago

Also works with halved eggplants and also medium sized hollowed tomatoes!

0
Reply
Tatiana Popescu
Tatiana Popescu
Reply to  Jen jarvis
Posted: 7 months ago

Absolutely! Other Romanian recipes are stuffed zucchini or stuffed tomatoes, besides stuffed bell peppers.

0
Reply
Trish
Trish
Posted: 2 years ago

I love this recipe. But, I think it is derived in Hungary. My father from Budapest used to make this.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Trish
Posted: 2 years ago

I’m sure every country has their own version. 🙂

0
Reply
Karen Swenda
Karen Swenda
Posted: 2 years ago

I would just like to say I find myself pinning and making your recipes more than anyone else! So in short I love your food!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Karen Swenda
Posted: 2 years ago

That’s what I love to hear! 🙂

0
Reply
Judy Atkins
Judy Atkins
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
I made these yesterday for dinner, and they were fantastic! We live very close to a farmer’s market that has tremendous peppers, so I have a super source for these yummy stuffed peppers. This recipe is now on our favorite list for dinners!!!! Thank you!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Judy Atkins
Posted: 2 years ago

I’m so happy to hear this! 🙂

0
Reply
duffel bag
duffel bag
Posted: 2 years ago

I have been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thanks, I will try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your website?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  duffel bag
Posted: 2 years ago

6 days a week 🙂 You can sign up for our newsletter to get emails when we post a new recipe.

0
Reply
ES
ES
Posted: 3 years ago

Just made these tonight! They are delish!
I’m Romanian as well, and have to say that these are legit!

0
Reply

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Hey there!

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More
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