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The Proper Way to Freeze Stuffed Peppers

The Proper Way to Freeze Stuffed Peppers

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Stuffed peppers are delicious, nutritious, and easy to make—pretty much everything you need in a meal! But when it comes to storing them, that’s when it gets tricky.

Freezing is always the way to go when storing food for a long time, but can you freeze stuffed peppers?

The answer depends on how soon you plan on eating them. If you’re going to eat your peppers within a day or two, you can store your peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat them when it’s time to eat. 

But if you want your peppers to last a little longer, your best bet would be to freeze them.

How to Freeze Stuffed Peppers

Although they often don’t contain any meat, stuffed peppers are filling nevertheless. There’s a high chance you’ll end up with leftovers that you have to store.

Instead of tossing them in the garbage, you can easily store them in your freezer, where they can last for up to a year.

Here’s how to freeze your stuffed peppers:

Cook your peppers how you normally would. Make sure that if you’re using meat, it is cooked all the way through. Otherwise, you’ll have to recook them when you take them out of storage.

Afterward, put all of your peppers in a container or dish that won’t break in the freezer. Then, wrap it in aluminum foil, followed by a layer of plastic wrap.

Make sure that all peppers are properly covered to avoid freezer burns.

If you’re only storing a couple of peppers, you can store them individually in plastic wrap. Then, put them in an airtight plastic sandwich bag and store them in the freezer.

How Long Do Stuffed Peppers Last in the Fridge?

If you decide to store your stuffed peppers in the fridge, they’ll only last around four days before becoming soggy and inedible. They’ll also lose some of their taste by the third day, so it’s better to eat them the next day or after two days max.

As for the freezer, stuffed peppers will last from four months to a year, depending on their level of freshness. However, it’s worth noting that they’ll lose some of their taste after a couple of months, so I don’t recommend storing them for so long. They may also catch a smell from other stored foods in the freezer.

How Long Can You Keep Stuffed Peppers in the Fridge Before Cooking Them?

Sometimes, it’s better to prepare a meal a day or two before cooking it, especially with time-consuming meals like stuffed peppers. That way, you have enough time to cook it without feeling rushed.

If you plan to stuff your peppers and store them in the fridge before cooking them, leave them in the fridge for one day max. If you leave them for longer, they’ll go stale, and the stuffing may become too moist for your liking because the vegetables will start releasing their moisture.

Reheating Frozen Peppers

Stuffed Peppers in the Oven

When it’s time to eat the peppers, take the wrapping off and put them in a new container. Then, let them defrost for a while before heating them.

You’ll want to bake them for about a half hour before serving them, depending on how many peppers you have and how frozen they are.

If you have plenty of time before you have to serve them, it’s better to let them defrost naturally in the fridge. By doing so, you’ll reduce the cooking time. Besides, the peppers will let their moisture off gradually, so they’ll taste fresh.

Storing Uncooked Stuffed Peppers

While it’s safe to say that most people store their stuffed peppers after they’ve been cooked, some prefer to store them uncooked. That way, they taste fresh when it’s time to eat them.

To do so, you’ll cook the stuffing thoroughly, and in a separate pot, you’ll blanch your peppers, careful not to cook them all the way through.

After that, simply store your partially cooked peppers in an airtight container wrapped in aluminum foil, careful not to expose the peppers to freezer burns.

After you wrap the container in foil, rewrap it in plastic wrap for even better protection.

Again, you can always freeze all of your peppers one by one by wrapping them in plastic wrap and placing them in a sandwich bag. However, the previous method is easier and more time-efficient.

When it’s time to serve the peppers, you’ll let them defrost and bake them for half an hour, then they’ll be ready to eat.

Other Things to Consider

Grated Cheese

Keep in mind that if you want to add cheese to your stuffed peppers, you should add it after you’ve defrosted them. This way, it melts evenly and nicely when you reheat your delicious peppers. 

I don’t recommend storing the peppers in the freezer if you already topped them off with cheese. No matter how hard you try to store them correctly, the cheese will end up getting soggy and release its moisture into the stuffing.

Stuffed Pepper Recipes

The great thing about stuffed peppers is that you can make them however you want! You can put just about anything in them and can even make them entirely vegan or vegetarian.

To make basic stuffed peppers, be sure to follow the recipe below.

Step 1: Prepare the Peppers

First things first, cut the tops off of your peppers. Make sure to get rid of the stems because you won’t need them. Don’t get rid of the tops of your pepper—you can chop them up and use them later.

Next, you want to start removing as many of the seeds as possible from the inside of the pepper. You can use your hands or a spoon, or you can take a knife and gently scrape the sides so that the seeds and extra membrane are removed.

While preparing your peppers, turn on your oven to 350 degrees. When you’re done preparing your peppers, you can set them aside and begin working on your stuffing.

Step 2: Prepare the Stuffing

Cooking Ground Beef in Skillet

The stuffing in stuffed peppers is usually ground beef, but you can always substitute that for whatever you prefer.

To prepare the stuffing, start heating some oil in a skillet. Next, drop the ground beef, break it up as much as possible, then season it with salt and pepper.

You’ll know your beef has started to cook when it’s entirely browned—a process that should take no longer than 10 minutes. To keep your beef as lean as possible, transfer it onto a paper towel once it’s done cooking so that it can absorb all the extra oil.

To give your beef some more flavor, chop an onion as finely as possible and toss it into the skillet you were using to cook your beef. Add in some more olive oil because the onion will absorb it fast.

Next, take the chopped peppers you set aside earlier and add them to the skillet alongside your onion. It should only take a few minutes before your vegetables start to soften.

If you want to make your stuffing thicker, you can add some garlic, zucchini, and tomatoes into the pan, seasoning them with salt and pepper while they’re cooking. 

If you like your stuffed peppers to be on the spicy side, you can add in some red pepper flakes for an extra kick.

In a separate pan, you should have cooked long grain and wild rice, which you can now add to your vegetable medley in the pan, along with the cooked ground beef. 

Add some shredded cheese into the mix and cook until it’s melted. When all of your vegetables are cooked thoroughly, it’s time to move on to the next step.

Step 3: Stuff and Bake the Peppers

Checking to See if Stuffed Peppers Are Done

Now that the stuffing is ready, you can put it inside your peppers. Use a spoon or your hands for this step, and when you’re done, take your stuffed peppers and place them in a baking dish that has a bit of water at the bottom of it.

Next, drizzle olive oil all over your peppers and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Put it in your preheated oven and let the peppers bake for about a half hour.

Once the half hour is up, uncover the peppers and leave them in the oven for another 15 minutes. Make sure your cheese is melted all the way through before you take the peppers out completely.

After this, your delicious peppers are ready to serve!

Making Stuffed Pepper Soup

Though stuffed peppers are relatively easy to make, they require some preparations and are time-consuming to make. The next best alternative if you don’t have enough time is stuffed pepper soup.

To make stuffed pepper soup, you need most of the basic ingredients you normally find in a stuffed pepper recipe. This includes onions, garlic, ground beef, rice, tomato sauce, peppers, and chicken broth.

You can always substitute the chicken broth with beef or vegetable broth if you prefer. I personally prefer beef broth, but it’s up to you.

To start, cook your beef the same way you would when making regular stuffed peppers. Cook it in a skillet with oil until browned. Then, season it with salt and pepper or whatever other seasonings you may prefer.

When the beef is ready, drain its oil by taking it out of the skillet and placing it on a paper towel. Keep in mind that too much oil or fat from the beef will change the soup’s texture and taste, so this step is vital.

Next, put your vegetables and cooked rice in a pot and mix them with the chicken broth. You can do this step on a stovetop, in a slow cooker, or even in a crock pot.

The best part about stuffed peppers and stuffed pepper soup is that you can add in whatever ingredients you see fit. You can even make them without the rice if you want a gluten-free meal.

If you want a vegetarian or vegan alternative, use soy crumbles as opposed to ground beef in your stuffing mixture.

Common Stuffed Pepper Mishaps

Uncooked Rice

Although stuffed peppers are easy enough to make, mistakes happen, and sometimes you end up undercooking the peppers, overcooking them, or making different mistakes.

For example, a lot of people use uncooked rice in their mixture, which ends up being a mistake because the rice won’t cook all the way through. This leaves you with chewy or hard rice in your peppers.

Other than uncooked rice, some people also add too much liquid, which causes the peppers to get too soggy.

Another common mistake that people make is to stuff the peppers too much. Overstuffing them means the ingredients in the mixture may not cook all the way through.

Finally, some people don’t add seasoning or spices.

Yes, your peppers should already be flavorful, but the added spices make a difference and help bring out the flavors of the stuffing.

Final Thoughts

To recap, yes, you can easily freeze stuffed peppers. In fact, they taste just as great when reheated. 

To freeze your stuffed peppers properly, make sure to place them in an airtight container that won’t break in the freezer.

Afterward, cover them with one layer of aluminum foil and one layer of plastic wrap.

If you prefer to wrap your peppers individually, you can wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in a plastic resealable bag. Make sure to wrap them tightly to avoid freezer burns, and release all the air out of the plastic bag when sealing it.

If you want to stray from the original recipes, you can choose to stuff your peppers with whatever you see fit. This can be anything from your leftovers the previous evening to using all vegetables instead of meat.

Whatever you decide to do, it’s safe to say your peppers will turn out a delight!

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Melissa Elenbaas

Thursday 6th of January 2022

I always stuff my peppers with raw meat and rice (and other stuff, like garlic, onion, tomato etc.) I make the mixture soupy and pour additional sauce over all, sealing tightly with foil to bake.

I never heard of precooking the ingredients! But you did answer my question - can they be frozen - I thought the peppers might turn to mush.

I bought a bunch of lovely peppers, all colors, from the produce clearance rack so now I need to use them!