If you love variety and need a quick meal, try these roasted stuffed peppers

Melinda Malott
·4 min read

I was never a fan of stuffed peppers growing up. It was one of those meals I’d turn my nose up for.

It wasn't until about 20 years ago when I discovered parboiling.

The process of parboiling the peppers before stuffing and baking makes all the difference in the flavor. I find green peppers to have a strong bitter taste and I never skip this step when I use them. If I'm in a hurry, I will stuff red, yellow or orange peppers without parboiling them. It's up to you.

I enjoy the rainbow selection of peppers available to us so we can get a little more creative with stuffings and flavors. We’re going to use a multiple choice approach to building the right stuffed peppers for you and your family. Some options I’ll include here will be Italian stuffed pepper, Mexican stuffed pepper and an American vegetarian option as well.

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Since school is back in session and schedules get a little crazier, we need quick one-dish meals. Stuffed peppers fit the bill. You can prepare them ahead and freeze them, then pull out what you need. They freeze very well.

Here’s how this works: You pick your peppers, then your meat or meat substitute if you desire, spices to make it to your liking, your vegetables, your binder — such as rice, quinoa or riced cauliflower — then you pick your cheese and finally a sauce. This is a multiple choice test with no wrong answers.

International Roasted Peppers

Ingredients:

Bell Peppers: Pickfour individual peppers, mix or match

  • Green

  • Red

  • Yellow

  • Orange

Meat: Pick one 1 lb. (Optional)

  • Hamburger

  • Ground Turkey

  • Sausage

  • Meat substitute of your choice

Spices: Pick one combination

  • Italian: 1/2 Tsp. Basil, 1/2 Tsp. Oregano

  • Mexican: 1 Tsp. Cumin, 2 tsp Chili powder,

  • Vegetarian: 1 Tbsp parsley, 1 tsp. Fresh or dried thyme

Grain: Pick one (optional) 1 cup

  • White Rice

  • Brown Rice

  • Quinoa

Vegetables: Pick as many as you want to equal about 1 cup of cooked vegetable per recipe

  • Diced tomatoes, canned or fresh

  • Cubed zucchini

  • Corn, fresh, canned or frozen that has been cooked first

  • Onion

  • Garlic (minced)

Cheese: Pick one or two to total 1 cup of cheese per recipe

  • Cheddar

  • Feta

  • Goat

  • Mascarpone

  • Cream Cheese

  • Mozzarella

  • Parmesan

Sauce: Pick one, use 2 cups

  • Italian: Jarred Marinara or your favorite spaghetti sauce

  • Mexican: Enchilada or jarred salsa

  • Vegetarian: Canned tomato soup

Directions:

Clean peppers; cut off the top, lay aside

Remove the seeds and veins. Cut off a little of the bottom off so the pepper will sit up straight in the pan.

Optional: Parboil your peppers. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Plunge peppers into the boiling water for 5 minutes. This is enough time to remove the bitter taste. It also softens the pepper a little if you prefer a softer pepper. Turn upside down and drain

Meat and spices:

Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to your skillet. Cook meat in the skillet, add your preferred spices. Cook till brown and crumbly, drain meat or meat substitute and set aside.

Vegetables:

In the same skillet add another 1 tbsp olive oil or oil of your choice.

Sauté your choice of vegetables till just soft. If using canned tomatoes, you don't have to sauté them.

Grain:

Cook each grain per package directions. *Note — I have been using the little pre-cooked rice and grain pouches I've seen at the supermarket lately. That makes this recipe even easier.

Combine your chosen ingredients for the filling. In a large mixing bowl, place meat, grain, vegetables, cheese and half the sauce. Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling in each pepper. Place 4 peppers in a glass baking pan. Pour the rest of the sauce over the peppers. If there is leftover filling, you can pour it around the bottom of the peppers and bake it in the casserole with them.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, until bubbly.

For Freezing:

Stuff the peppers as directed. Freeze in an airtight container.

To prepare: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Cover with foil and bake 400 for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly.

Melinda Malott of Williamsport is a self-taught baker and cook. Follow her on Instagram @Melindaluvs2bake.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Roasted stuffed peppers offer variety and convenience