Mini Stuffed Peppers

These cute little peppers are simply delightful. You can serve these for company and it’s a great option for a weeknight dinner, since they cook so quickly. The stuffing is moist, scumptious  and full of flavor. Each juicy mouthful is encased in a bright mini pepper, cooked just until tender. These dainty peppers are so elegant and pretty, you can serve them at parties and for family dinners. They are very healthy for you too, with almost no fat in the recipe and full of vitamins from all those veggies. You can prep the peppers ahead of time also and then simply cook

Yields: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

2 lbs mini peppers

1/4 cup long grain rice (3/4-1 cup cooked)

1 lb ground pork

1 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter

2 onions, finely diced

1 carrot, shredded

1 teaspoon salt, plus a little bit more for carrots and onions

1/2 teaspoon pepper, plus a little bit more for carrots and onions

1 Tablespoon oil (canola, vegetable, olive, etc.)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, crushed in the food processor

Sour cream and fresh herbs, to serve with the finished dish

Cook the rice according to package instructions until ready.

Melt 1 – 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter in a skillet. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on medium heat until tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the shredded carrots, season with salt and, cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Cool slightly. Combine the ground pork, rice, carrots, onions and 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. (Instead of ground pork you can use any other ground meat – chicken, turkey, beef, etc.)

Cut off the tops of the peppers and take out the seeds. 
Fill the peppers with the meat mixture. 

In a large pot or a rimmed skillet, heat up 1 Tablespoon of oil on medium high heat. Add the peppers and sear for about 2 minutes per side. If all your peppers don’t fit in one layer on the bottom, switch the peppers that cooked to the top of the peppers and move the peppers on top to be seared. As the peppers cook, they will release some liquid.

Searing the peppers will help them to cook faster and I think they give a great flavor to the finished dish. When the peppers are seared, make some room in the center and add the minced garlic. Cook for a mere 30 seconds or so and pour in the crushed tomatoes.

In the ingredients list, I specified that I used diced tomatoes that I crushed in the food processor. Why the extra step? Can you simply use a can of crushed tomatoes? Yes. However, the crushed tomatoes are thicker in consistency, since the diced tomatoes are packed in juice and when you process the tomatoes, it will thin them out a bit. Also, there are much more seeds, skin and pulp in the crushed tomatoes. It’s up to you.

Cook the peppers at a simmer for about 15-20 minutes, depending how big the peppers are.

Serve with sour cream and garnish with fresh herbs.

You can also cook these in the oven, just cook them 10-15 minutes longer. Place the peppers on a greased baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees or place in a deep baking dish, top with crushed tomatoes , broth or vegetable juice.

If you have any meat stuffing left, make some lazy cabbage rolls or Cabbage Rolls. I double the recipe and get two different meals from the same cooking day.

Mini Stuffed Peppers

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Author: Olga’s Flavor Factory

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs mini peppers
• ¼ cup long grain rice (3/4-1 cup cooked)
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 1½ Tablespoons butter
• 2 onions, finely diced
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus a little bit more for carrots and onions
• ½ teaspoon pepper, plus a little bit more for carrots and onions
• 1 Tablespoon oil (canola, vegetable, olive, etc.)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, crushed in the food processor
• Sour cream and fresh herbs, to serve with the finished dish

Instructions

1. Cook the rice according to package instructions until ready.
2. Melt 1 – 1½ Tablespoons butter in a skillet. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on medium heat until tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the shredded carrots, season with salt and, cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Cool slightly.
4. Combine the ground pork, rice, carrots, onions and 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. (Instead of ground pork you can use any other ground meat – chicken, turkey, beef, etc.)
5. Cut off the tops of the peppers and take out the seeds.
6. Fill the peppers with the meat mixture.
7. In a large pot or a rimmed skillet, heat up 1 Tablespoon of oil on medium high heat. Add the peppers and sear for about 2 minutes per side. If all your peppers don’t fit in one layer on the bottom, switch the peppers that cooked to the top of the peppers and move the peppers on top to be seared. As the peppers cook, they will release some liquid.
8. Searing the peppers will help them to cook faster and I think they give a great flavor to the finished dish. When the peppers are seared, make some room in the center and add the minced garlic. Cook for a mere 30 seconds or so and pour in the crushed tomatoes.
9. In the ingredients list, I specified that I used diced tomatoes that I crushed in the food processor. Why the extra step? Can you simply use a can of crushed tomatoes? Yes. However, the crushed tomatoes are thicker in consistency, since the diced tomatoes are packed in juice and when you process the tomatoes, it will thin them out a bit. Also, there are much more seeds, skin and pulp in the crushed tomatoes. It’s up to you.
10. Cook the peppers at a simmer for about 15-20 minutes, depending how big the peppers are.
11. Serve with sour cream and garnish with fresh herbs.
12. You can also cook these in the oven, just cook them 10-15 minutes longer. Place the peppers on a greased baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees or place in a deep baking dish, top with crushed tomatoes , broth or vegetable juice.
13. If you have any meat stuffing left, make some lazy cabbage rolls or Cabbage Rolls. I double the recipe and get two different meals from the same cooking day.

3.1.09

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