Susan M. Selasky
QUESTION: When making stuffed peppers, do you boil the peppers before stuffing? What are some stuffing mixtures? -- Bobbi Lang, Trenton
ANSWER: Some recipes call for blanching the peppers to soften them slightly; others do not. Green peppers at a local store were stuffed with a raw ground meat mixture and looked as though they were not boiled or blanched. If you bake peppers this way, they will take longer to cook and will hold their shape better. If you blanch the peppers and stuff them with raw ingredients, they could become too soft and fall apart during baking. So it's easier to stuff blanched peppers with an already-cooked mixture.
To prepare any color of bell peppers for stuffing, cut about 1/4-inch off the stem end and remove the core, seeds and, if desired, the ribs. You can reserve the top and place it back on the pepper once it is stuffed. Cut a small slice off the bottom so the peppers stand upright. Or cut the peppers in half lengthwise, cutting through the stem, for a slightly different presentation. For these, also cut a small sliver off the underside so they stay still in the baking dish.
To blanch peppers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and have ready a bowl of ice water. Place the peppers in the boiling water for 2 minutes -- set a timer so you don't overcook them. Using tongs, remove the peppers and plunge them in ice water to stop the cooking. Stuff according to your recipe. Place the stuffed peppers in a shallow baking dish, add a little bit of water, cover and bake about 35 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Uncover and top with some shredded cheese or a sauce if desired.
Here are a few stuffing ideas from the Free Press Test Kitchen. For stuffing four whole peppers, start with 1 pound of ground meat and use about 11/2 cups cooked rice and about 3/4 cup or more of a binding ingredient, such as bread cubes. You can use a condensed soup base or even barbecue sauce to hold the mixture together, as well as cheese.
- For a meat stuffing, consider lean ground beef, ground chicken or turkey breast, and sausage. One of my new favorite ingredients is Hot Turkey Italian sausage. It comes in links and you can cut away the casing and brown the sausage in a pan, breaking it up as it cooks.
- For vegetarian stuffing, try chopped or sliced sautéed mushrooms or peppers. Mini baby bellas or hearty portabella mushrooms or cremini mushrooms work well.
- For a binding ingredient, use 11/2 cups cooked white or brown rice, cooked couscous or bulgur, cooked quinoa or cooked small pasta such as orzo or ditalini. Or try fresh bread crumbs or panko-style bread crumbs, or seasoned bread cubes, such as those in a stuffing mixture.
HAVE A QUESTION? Contact Free Press Test Kitchen director SUSAN M. SELASKY noon-3 p.m. Thursdays at 313-222-6432 or food@freepress.com
FAQs
Should Peppers Be Boiled Before Stuffing? In this easy recipe for Stuffed Peppers, you'll boil your peppers for just two minutes before stuffing them. This softens them just a bit while allowing them to retain their sturdy shape. Once they're stuffed, it's bake time!
Should peppers be precooked before stuffing? ›
I definitely suggest par-cooking the bell peppers first, just a little bit before stuffing them. Not only does this help to soften the bell peppers, but it also cuts down on your cook time. As the bell peppers are cooking you can make the filling, shaving off about 20 minutes from your total cook time.
Why do you boil peppers for stuffed peppers? ›
ANSWER: Some recipes call for blanching the peppers to soften them slightly; others do not. Green peppers at a local store were stuffed with a raw ground meat mixture and looked as though they were not boiled or blanched. If you bake peppers this way, they will take longer to cook and will hold their shape better.
Should stuffed peppers be cooked before freezing? ›
The bottom line. You can absolutely freeze stuffed peppers, and they make for a really great freezer-friendly dish. It's important to make sure that your stuffing is fully cooked before it goes into the peppers and is then frozen. Go ahead and pop a pepper out of the freezer and heat it up in the oven.
Are peppers supposed to be cooked? ›
Do You Need to Cook Bell Peppers? Bell peppers are safe to eat cooked or raw. They are crunchy and crisp with a very mild spicy bite when raw. Cooking tends to enhance the pepper's natural sweetness.
Do you cook stuffing before you stuff? ›
Fully cook raw meat, poultry, or seafood ingredients before adding to stuffing. Combine the ingredients and place them in your bird immediately before cooking. Don't stuff whole poultry with cooked stuffing. In addition to the turkey, the stuffing's center needs to reach 165 F.
Should you cook or raw bell peppers? ›
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.
Why do my stuffed peppers fall apart? ›
The goal is to tenderize them before they're stuffed and baked, but generally the poor fellas are over-boiled, which results in their tendency to fall apart and, as noted, be flavorless. But peppers can have tons of flavor when given the right treatment. The trick is to roast them at high heat.
How do you keep stuffed peppers from getting soggy? ›
To prevent it from happening, you should try to avoid or reduce excess moisture – here are three of the things you can do:
- Pre-cook Peppers. ...
- Use Leftover Rice. ...
- Save Cheese for the Topping.
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.
Vegetables will high water contents often get mushy and slimy when put in the freezer. This is just the nature of traditional freezing.
What goes with stuffed peppers? ›
Salads to Serve with Stuffed Peppers
- Honey Mustard Broccoli Crunch Salad. ...
- Arugula Quinoa Salad with Lemon Caesar Vinaigrette. ...
- Santa Fe Salad. ...
- Thai Chopped Salad (Meal Prep Friendly) ...
- Cucumber and Carrot Salad. ...
- Crunchy Dill Pickle Salad. ...
- Bang Bang Roasted Broccoli Salad. ...
- Spaghetti Squash Salad.
TO STORE: Refrigerate stuffed peppers in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days. TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees F. TO FREEZE: Freeze peppers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Should I pre-cook bell peppers before stuffing them? ›
The peppers need to be par-cooked before filling so that they cook through. Many recipes call for boiling the peppers first, but I prefer to roast them – more flavor and less cleanup!
Can you eat the white stuff in bell peppers? ›
Inside the pepper, you will find a cluster of small white seeds towards the stem end. Although these seeds are edible, they are typically discarded because they are slightly bitter. All varieties of bell pepper are satisfyingly crispy, although they do vary slightly in flavor depending on their color.
How to tell when a bell pepper is bad? ›
Wrinkles are the first sign of spoilage, accompanied by softness, then bad spots/holes and mold. Yellow, orange, and red bell peppers tend to spoil faster than green, due to their sweeter and riper nature.
How do you soften bell peppers before cooking? ›
In large pot, fill peppers with water (to prevent floating), and fill pot around peppers with water until peppers are fully covered. Cover pot and bring to a rolling boil on high heat. Bring the temperature down to medium-low and let peppers hard simmer for three minutes, or until tender.
Can you prep bell peppers ahead of time? ›
Bell peppers are a great thing to slice ahead of time for quickly adding to a meal. Once cut, store bell peppers in an air-tight container in your fridge. Use within 3 days or move to freezer.
Should you pepper before or after cooking? ›
If you want a slightly bitter, pungent, and contrasting crust, go ahead and season it beforehand, and maybe turn the heat down a little. If you want to taste pepper's more floral, citrusy, woody notes, grind it on after the steak is finished cooking. You can also do both, depending on how much you like pepper.
