Equipment
Ingredients
Peppers & Sauce
- 4 bell peppers, medium, tops removed and cored
- 400 ml passata, strained tomatoes
- 2 garlic, minced
- 30 ml olive oil
Tuna Stuffing
- 300 g canned tuna, drained well
- 50 g breadcrumbs
- 15 g capers, rinsed and drained
- 30 g black olives, pitted and chopped
- 10 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 g salt
- 1 g black pepper, freshly ground
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 288 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbohydrates
- 29 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 12 g
- Sodium
- 842 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 7 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 74 mg
- Potassium
- 957 mg
- Calcium
- 87 mg
- Iron
- 5.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 69 mg
- Phosphorus
- 233 mg
- Zinc
- 1.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 306 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 207 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 6.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 59 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.9 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 2.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.26 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.39 mg
- Niacin
- 11.4 mg
- Folate
- 107 mcg
- Water
- 307 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
Slice the tops off the bell peppers. Using a chef's knife or your fingers, carefully remove the core, seeds, and white membranes from the inside.
Combine the drained canned tuna, breadcrumbs, capers, chopped black olives, fresh parsley, egg, salt, and black pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly until the ingredients bind together into a cohesive stuffing.
Spoon the tuna mixture evenly into the hollowed bell peppers, pressing down gently to pack the filling securely inside.
Pour the passata into the bottom of a baking dish. Stir in the minced garlic and olive oil until combined. Stand the stuffed peppers upright directly in the tomato sauce.
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the peppers are tender.
Remove from the oven and let the peppers rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm, spooning the rich tomato sauce from the bottom of the dish generously over the peppers.
Chef's Notes
- Using high-quality tuna packed in olive oil rather than water significantly improves the texture and richness of the stuffing.
- Always taste your tuna mixture before adding salt, as capers, olives, and canned tuna are already quite briny.
- For a deeper flavor profile, toast the breadcrumbs lightly in a pan with garlic and a drizzle of olive oil before mixing them into the tuna.
- Any leftover tuna stuffing that does not fit in the peppers can be formed into small patties and pan-fried as a quick chef's snack.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container with the tomato sauce.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze in a sealed container; texture of peppers will soften considerably upon thawing.
Reheating: Reheat in an oven at 175°C (350°F) for 15-20 minutes or microwave until warmed through.
Troubleshooting
Peppers fall over during baking
Cause: The bottom of the pepper is naturally uneven or the baking dish is too large
Fix: Prop the peppers up using crumpled pieces of aluminum foil wedged between them
Prevention: Slice a very thin layer off the bottom of each pepper to create a stable, flat base, taking care not to puncture the bottom cavity
Tomato sauce burns on the bottom of the dish
Cause: Baking dish is too wide, causing the sauce layer to be too thin and prone to rapid evaporation
Fix: Add a splash of water or vegetable broth around the base of the peppers if the sauce looks too dry when removing the foil
Prevention: Use a baking dish that snugly fits the 4 peppers so the sauce sits higher up the sides
Cultural Context
Peperoni ripieni di tonno is a classic Southern Italian dish that showcases the region's mastery of pantry staples. Canned tuna, capers, and olives are deeply rooted in the coastal culinary traditions of Campania and Calabria, where preserving summer ingredients was historically essential. Baking the stuffed peppers in a simple tomato sauce creates a beautiful synergy, transforming humble ingredients into a comforting, robust meal.
