Stuffed Bell Peppers (FREEZER MEAL)

This is my newest addition to my freezer meal repertoire and I'm loving them!

Stuffed Bell Peppers


Ingredients

8 bell peppers
1.5 lbs ground beef (cooked and drained)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
1 cup instant brown rice (Minute Rice), uncooked
Shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

Step 1


Cut the tops off the peppers, taking out the seeds and as much of the white part as you can. Cut a bit off the bottoms so they sit flat. ( I cut up the left over pepper from the tops and bottoms and stir it into the stuffing later- don't want any of the edible part going to waste). Place the peppers on a clean baking sheet.

Step 2


In a bowl, combine the beef, onion, garlic, rice, tomato sauce, and extra bell pepper bits. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 3


Stuff each pepper with the beef mixture, almost to the top.

Step 4


Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, packing down lightly. Move baking sheet to freezer and allow the peppers to freeze completely. Then put them in a labeled Ziploc bag.

Step 5


To reheat: Take out desired number of peppers, and allow to thaw in a baking dish in the fridge overnight. Once thawed completely, bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.

Comments

Anonymous said…
In regards to this, I make stuff peppers all the time but I boil the hollowed out pepper first for about 10 minutes to make it softer. My question is when you make this for the freezer and I see you dont boil them first, do they come out hard in texture (crunchy )after baking themn or are they soft?
Anonymous said…
I read in a couple places that the vegetables need to be blanched 1st before freezing. They have enzymes that still live regardless if frozen... idk...
These come out "al dente" not super soft. You can parboil these if you want, and yes, most vegetables should be blanched before freezing, but we eat this so quickly that it really isn't an issue.
Anonymous said…
I was wondering If you could actually bake the whole meal and then freeze it? Then you would just have to heat them up .
Anonymous said…
I am wondering the same thing
You could cook then freeze, then reheat. It would work. :)
OCCouponing said…
Hi, Could these be cooked in a slow cooker? Should it be defrosted first or could I cook it from frozen?
Thanks. I'm gathering recipes to make some freezer meals before school starts back up :)
This recipe is exactly what I was searching for. You have some wonderful recipe suggestions. Thank you!
OCCouponing- I imagine they could! I think you could cook them from frozen since you'd be using a crockpot, the extra water released would be great for that. :)
Anonymous said…
I made these tonight and threw in some frozen peas and some fresh corn because I had them. Ended up with way too much filling - the filling works well in tomatoes as well. yum! I froze most of them and though I do cook most veggies before freezing, I think stuffed peppers hold their integrity better if they're frozen without being blanched.
bombay dogdays said…
I think I just found my new favourite blog! Between you, you've answered all my questions for what to do with my bountiful garden harvest this year! Thanks!
Anonymous said…
lOVE THIS BLOG.....EXCELENT!
Anonymous said…
Can you use cooked rice instead of minute rice? Or regular uncooked rice? I love this idea and love stuffed peppers but all the precooking and boiling made them not so "easy" and fast to make. I can't cook anymore due to a disability and my mother in law comes over and prepares stuff to freeze for easy cooking.
Anonymous said…
I love stuffed peppers and I love this blog!!!! And yes you can use regular rice. When I make peppers I only freeze the filling I.e. partially or fully cooked reg rice, tomatoes, raw beef etc. It goes from the freezer to a skillet while the oven preheats to brown the meat. Then stuff and bake, yum!!!
Anonymous said…
When I was growing up my aunt made these all the time but she mixed onion, cooked rice, 1 can tomato soup with raw hamb and stuffed peppers cut in half lengthwise and covered the whole thing with another can of tomato soup diluted with 1/2 can water and baked. I am going to try your method it sounds really good too.
shopgirldaisy said…
To clarify, if I were to use brown rice, do I cook it first, mix into the mixture then freeze OR use it uncooked, mix the uncooked rice into the mixture then freeze??
Anonymous said…
They come out soft for me and I never boil them if I'm going to freeze them
Anonymous said…
Blanching des help keep the veggies color and flavor intact. But is not necessary with peppers or onions in my experience
Roseanne said…
Is there anything you can use in the stuffed peppers besides rice?
Unknown said…
You can stuff peppers with absolutely anything that tempts your taste buds, Quinoa, bread crumbs, meatloaf mixture,etc.!
cookie said…
Hello,
I am making these today to freeze. I am going to blanch the pepper for ten seconds then dip ice water to stop the cooking process. I want them dry before I stuff with corn, black beans and a little bit of peach salsa found at Trader Joes a mixture of ground pork and hamburger. When I cook these I will take from freezer and put in crock pot on low on a foil ring with a little water in the bottom.
I am wondering if the meat needs to be cooked or raw?
Thank you
Anonymous said…
Has anyone used regular rice? I don't have any minute rice on hand. Thanks!
Anonymous said…
I like to use Uncle Bens Ready Whole Grain Medley in Santa Fe flavor in the orange bag with pre cooked hamburger and a can of tomato sauce. Yum
Anonymous said…
I use V8 juice and add sugar. Yummy
Unknown said…
How do these keep in the freezer?
Unknown said…
i made these and something felt "off" missing in the flavor profile. Then I remembered that ketchup often fixes things. I added 4 tablespoons of Heinz ketchup and the taste was much improved.
Anonymous said…
I mix hamburger with a package & a 1/2 of Lipton Onion soup mix ( dry ), a sprinkle of Regular Mrs Dash, garlic powder, a little McCormick Pub Burger seasoning, 2 small eggs, a little bit of milk, breadcrumbs. Mix all up and I cut the tops off my peppers and cut out some of the white inside the pepper carefully & also take out the seeds. Fill the peppers to the top and sit in a deep foiled pan ( throw away one ) and put the lids back on top. I add a can of Manwich on top of the 4 peppers and cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes on 325-350. Then remove the foil carefully ( steam is very hot ) & I pick up the tops off the peppers and lie them to the side of the inside of the foil pan...and bake at 375 for an additional 15 minutes. My peppers were large. The Manwich really makes itdelicious!
Anonymous said…
I have lots of mix (ground beef, rice, cheese) left over, even after peppers filled. Can the mix be frozen?
Anonymous said…
My mom raised us with stuffed peppers but she used salad macaroni instead of rice. Same with meatloaf. I have only tried rice once or twice during my adult life and I prefer the macaroni.
Sooz said…
I always pre-boil my green bell peppers once they are cut and ready. The term should be PARBOIL as to not over boil them. Doing this will take the bitter taste out of the bell pepper. Don't over parboil then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. This should leave them still firm, cooled and ready to fill.
Anonymous said…
I use sausage, sause and cheese in red,yellow, and orange peppers. They are so good. I like them better than green stuffed peppers.
Anonymous said…
This recipe is exactly the way my Aunt used to freeze stuffed peppers. Thank you for this. Brings back good memories.
Daniella said…
I use goya white rice and its awesome
Daniella said…
Yes... Ive frozen it and then thawed it in the microwave... Delicious
Anonymous said…
I have made stuffed pepper soup with the leftover filling and/or peppers. Just add broth and tomato sauce. Yum
Angie stene said…
I made stuffed green peppers in sauce and cooked. Would like to freeze all for later. Can the sauce and peppers in the 9×11 pan be frozen together
little late to the answer but i use quinoa
Unknown said…
Add water bath when cooking..

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