Stuffed Green Pepper Casserole | Easy Instant Pot recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do I have to cook peppers before stuffing them? ›

Some stuffed pepper recipes call for boiling your peppers before baking. Others don't pre-cook them and they turn out too crunchy. Our research found that pre-baking the peppers for 30 minutes makes them perfectly tender! Once you stuff them, you'll need 20 minutes in the hot even to get the cheese nice and melty.

For Uncooked Fillings in Whole Peppers:

It's possible to stuff peppers with a raw filling. If you're stuffing a whole pepper, it takes awhile to cook because the filling needs to reach a safe temperature. Out of all the stuffed peppers, this one takes the longest to cook because of its size.

Many recipes suggest blanching your peppers. In case you don't know, you can blanch vegetables by placing them raw in boiling water for a short period of time, then moving them to ice water to stop the enzymes from breaking down. This results in peppers that are soft and ready to be filled without them getting soggy.

No Moisture In, No Moisture Out

Following the logic of precooking your peppers to safeguard against sogginess, you should also avoid watery ingredients in your stuffing. Let's say your filling calls for tomato sauce. Rather than spooning it directly into your hollowed peppers, reduce it on the stove until it's thick.

The chile relleno, literally "stuffed pepper", consists of a roasted and peeled/skinned green pasilla or poblano pepper stuffed with cheese (traditionally queso fresco) and, occasionally, minced meat, covered in an egg batter, and fried.

Of all the stuffing tomatoes I have tried, the pleated, pink 'Zapotec Ribbed' has the best flavor. 'Yellow Stuffer' has four distinct lobes, like a bell pepper, and vibrant color. Other stuffing tomatoes, such as 'Liberty Bell', share the same shape, but 'Yellow Stuffer' is larger and more regular.

Chipotles. It's no secret that Bobby loves spicy food, and his favorite pepper is the smoky chipotle. Use the peppers and the adobo sauce they're typically canned in to add loads of flavor to marinades, meats and side dishes.

The thing about most stuffed bell pepper recipes is 3that they call for salt in the filling, not for the peppers themselves. Without salt, the peppers are flabby and bland, merely a filling case. With a sprinkle of salt, they transform into a sweet and powerfully savory part of the dish.

Roasted or sautéed veggies side dishes would pair nicely as a light side dish for the Italian stuffed peppers: Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Zucchini, or Sautéed Zucchini are three favorites. If you are roasting vegetables, you can place the sheet pan in the oven with the peppers. Salad.

Why is my rice not cooking in stuffed peppers? ›

Uncooked rice in stuffed peppers typically doesn't have enough time or enough moisture to cook thoroughly. Partially or fully cooking rice before making stuffed peppers creates a tasty dish with a great texture. Cook the rice by boiling or toasting so the grains begin to soften.

Bell pepper

Stuffed peppers / Main ingredient

I think the key to stuffed peppers is the cooking of the pepper itself. If you pre-cook it, then once you fill it, it tends to be soggy and fall apart. I like my stuffed peppers to hold their shape and be hot all the way through but retain a little bit of crunch.

Sour cream, yogurt, ghee, butter and milk can all neutralize the pepper flavor, depending on the dish. Mix in a small amount of a dairy and see if you taste a difference.

Bell peppers, whether raw or cooked, are packed with vitamin C and various antioxidants. Eating them raw provides maximum vitamin C content, but cooking bell peppers can increase the availability of other nutrients. Roasting or grilling bell peppers enhances their natural sweetness and offers a delightful flavor.

All great stuffings start by sautéing simple aromatics, often a mix of chopped onions, celery, and carrots, which is also called a mirepoix. Chop—and even sauté it! —a day ahead, store in an airtight container in the fridge, and toss into the bread mixture when you're ready.

I recommend prepping peppers daily and using left overs as soon as possible the following day. By day three they're trash. If you chop the peppers, shock them in ice water and then spin them dry, they will retain quality for a little over two days, but I prefer not to hold them for that length of time.