Stuffed Miniature Peppers

Nutritious, Delicious, Economical: Home Food for Company

Home. This is what it tastes like.

Simple. Whole. Homemade.

Sometimes a little cheesy.

Sometimes a little saucy.

Delicious. Nutritious. Economical.

That is my mantra. Make Stuffed Miniature Peppers for a potluck, for dinner, for an appetizer. It is special enough for any occasion and simple enough for all occasions. Interestingly, the Stuffed Miniature Peppers taste considerably different than Stuffed Peppers as the ratio of meat to vegetable is considerably different.

Preparing the Filling

Sauté onions, then garlic in oil.

Add seasonings and meat.

Sauté.

Add rice and broth or water; simmer.

Adjust seasoning, cool and set aside.

Preparing the Peppers

Halve, clean and cook the peppers in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then in ice-water immediately, to blanch.

Strain and pat dry; set aside.

Putting it all Together

Stuff each blanched half until filling mounds.

Cover with sauce, if desired. If serving and baking individually, sprinkling with cheese before freezing individually works well.

Otherwise, simply place in serving dish, cover with sauce, and then cheese prior to freezing.

Of course, you can skip the freezing step, and bake immediately. Either way, the dish is delicious comforting, home food.

A little on the larger size for finger food. More like 2 bites, instead of one – but, eager diners have been known to pop a whole half into their mouth with zeal.

Usually, one is not enough. There is something about colour. Do they all taste the same? Let’s see!

What is your favourite filling for this miniature vessels?

5 from 1 vote

Print

Stuffed Miniature Bell Peppers

These humble little bites dressed up in party colours stand proud as their simple flavour appeals to almost everyone anywhere. Yield is 30 peppers stuffed, or 60 halves filled

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Canadian

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Servings 60 peppers

Author Valerie Lugonja

Ingredients

Ingredients for Filling:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion , minced
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 tablespoon Vegeta
• 1 tablespoon fresh and good quality paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 500 g fatty ground pork
• 500 g ground beef
• 1 cup long grained rice
• 1 3/4 cups water or broth

Ingredients for Topping:

• 1 cup tomato soup or tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon dried mustard
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper , to taste

Ingredients for the Peppers:

• miniature multi-coloured sweet bell peppers , washed, halved and seeded

Instructions

Instructions for the Filling:

1. Sauté the first 7 ingredients together for 3 minutes; add both meats
2. Stirring constantly to combine and to ensure no large pieces of ground meat cook together
3. When meat is brown, add rice and one cup of water or broth; stir to combine
4. Close lid, and with heat on low, steam for 15 minutes
5. Stir together and add remaining 3/4 cup water or broth; close lid and steam for 12 minutes
6. Remove to a bowl; cool to room temperature

Instructions for the Peppers:

1. Separate pepper halves according to sizes: bigger and smaller
2. Blanch each batch in boiling salted water for 1-2 minutes, depending upon size
3. Cool immediately in ice water; dry and set aside

Instructions for the Topping: Please go here to look at the step by step photos for this sauce

1. Mix all ingredients together
2. Adjust seasoning, to taste

Instructions for Putting Them all Together:

1. Fill each half completely with a little round on top starting with larger peppers
2. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet; fast freeze all overnight
3. Repackage in labelled and dated freezer bags the following day, until needed.... OR
4. Fill in spirals or decoratively in casserole dishes, top with tomato sauce and wrap well with plastic wrap; freeze until needed
5. Individual appetizers can be dipped in a topping or topped with a topping before baking from frozen
6. Heat oven to 400F; top with tomato sauce and or cheese on parchment lined cookie sheet and heat until hot, about 15 minutes
7. Serve immediately