Turkish Dolma with Meat Recipe: Stuffed Pepper or Capsicum

Turkish dolma recipe: Tray of green peppers stuffed with rice topped with tomatoes and lemons

Originally published May 3, 2013, updated September 12, 2021

Stuffed pepper is one of my favorite Turkish dishes and I didn’t realize how easy it was to make Turkish dolma until I tried it for myself. Of course, as I am a carnivorous person, I do prefer the dolma containing ground beef. You can serve this as a main meal (lunch or dinner) with a side of mezze, salad, or pasta.

Related content: The Best Turkish Foods: 44 Lip-Smacking Good Turkish Dishes (w/ Photos)

Ingredients for Turkish Dolma with Meat:

15 green capsicums
250g of lean beef mince
1 cup of white rice
50g of margarine (or 150mL of vegetable oil)
2-3 tomatoes
1-2 handfuls of flat-leaf parsley
1 onion
1 tbsp of tomato paste
2 cups of boiling water
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes
Dried mint

Method:

Wash the capsicums, cut the tops off (but keep them) and remove all the seeds. Salt the inside of the capsicums lightly, using your finger.
Rinse the rice and drain well.
Peel the skins from the tomatoes, remove the seeds, and dice them.
Peel and dice the onion.
In a large bowl, combine the minced beef, onion, half of the margarine, rice, tomatoes, dried mint and parsley and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.
Fill the hollowed capsicums with the mixture. Note: be careful not too fill them too much, as the rice will expand as it cooks.
Put the tops back onto the stuffed capsicums and stand them upright in a large saucepan.
In a bowl, combine the remaining margarine, tomato paste and boiling water. Pour around the peppers in the saucepan.
Bring the water to the boil and then turn down to a gentle simmer. Cook gently with the lid on for approximately 30 minutes, or until the stuffed capsicums are soft to touch with a fork and the rice is cooked through.