Stuffed Green Bell Peppers with Recipe and Freezing Tips

Last month I finished harvesting all of the green bell peppers from our garden. In total I had 28 peppers that I needed to use and preserve. I decided to make one of my hubby’s favorite dishes…Stuffed Green Bell Peppers and I froze the rest for use during the winter season. The recipe is below and I’m including tips on how you can freeze your pepper shells and filling for later on.

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Stuffed Green Bell Peppers Recipe

6 to 7 large green bell peppers
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/8 cup finely chopped onion
1 small can diced tomatoes with juice
1 medium can tomato sauce
2 cups uncooked white rice
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheese (your favorite)

Wash bell peppers, remove stem and seeds, set aside. Cook up the white rice until almost done. It should be el dente. Drain away water and set aside.

In a large frying pan simmer the lean ground beef with the finely chopped onion over medium heat until beef is done. Drain away grease, set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine together all of the above ingredients EXCEPT for the shredded cheese. Spoon filling into the shells of the green bell peppers.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place peppers into a large baking dish and bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. They’re done when the skins on the peppers are fork tender and show wrinkling. Remove. Top each pepper with shredded cheese. Place baking dish back into the oven for 5 to 7 minutes to melt cheese. Remove and serve immediately.

Freezing Tips:

You’ll want to wash peppers under cold water. Remove the stem and seeds. Rinse again. Shake off excess water. Place them on a baking sheet upside down (cut side facing down). Continue until you have all of them hollowed out. Place baking sheet in your freezer for 60 to 90 minutes or until shells are almost frozen solid. Remove. Place them into freezer bags or a freezer container. Label and freeze.

Cook up the filling as stated above. Let it cool to room temperature.  Place filling into a freezer container. Label and freeze.  It is BEST to freeze the shells separately from the filling!

Future Baking Tips:

Thaw out shells and filling overnight in your refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place shells into a baking dish. Spoon prepared filling into each shell. Place baking dish into preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Place back into the oven for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Remove. Serve immediately.

Variations: You can use ground beef, turkey or sausage when making this recipe. If you want to add some “heat” to it you can add red pepper flakes, finely chopped jalapenos and 1-2 tsp. ground chili powder to your ground beef mixture when simmering it. Any type of shredded cheese that you like will do! If I’m making spicier peppers for hubby I’ll use a Taco or Mexican blend of shredded cheese for the topper. My personal favorite is using shredded Italian Cheese. Sprinkling cooked and crumbled bacon on top is nice too!

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