Slow Cooker Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe (2024)

FAQs

When should you add bell peppers to slow cooker? ›

I add only part of the bell peppers in the beginning, which gives the tomato sauce and the chicken the flavor of peppers, but still keeps most of the bell peppers nice and crisp, since they are sort of steaming during the second part of the cooking process.

If you cook your stuffed peppers in one fell swoop, that moisture will release and end up in the final dish. Give them a jump start and prevent them from falling apart by roasting them for a short time in a hot oven.

For Uncooked Fillings in Whole Peppers:

It's possible to stuff peppers with a raw filling. If you're stuffing a whole pepper, it takes awhile to cook because the filling needs to reach a safe temperature. Out of all the stuffed peppers, this one takes the longest to cook because of its size.

To boil bell peppers: Cook peppers, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water for 6 to 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. To sauté bell peppers: Heat a skillet with 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Carefully add bell peppers and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes.

Tender vegetables such as zucchini and beans can be added to your dish in last ¾ - 1 hour of cooking when cooking on High, or 2 hours if cooking on Low. Hard, starchy vegetables like potato and carrots are best added around 3 hours before the meal is done if cooking on High, and 4 hours on Low.

It can be nice to cook the onions beforehand, as the flavour is different to when you put them in raw, but experiment both ways as you may find you prefer one. It can also be good to brown meat to give it some colour, but again, this is not essential.

When you bake peppers that are not pre-blanched or cooked, it is normal that they release their natural water – which can be easily avoided by pre-cooking beforehand. Cut your peppers as desired and remove the seeds, then put them in a large pot.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stir Cheddar cheese into ground beef-rice mixture and spoon mixture into precooked peppers. Set peppers upright in an 8x8-inch baking dish.

To easily stuff bell peppers and keep them upright during baking, arrange and then bake them in a Bundt, tube, angel food, or muffin pan (spray with nonstick spray first). The peppers stay upright, freeing your hands for assembly.

The peppers need to be par-cooked before filling so that they cook through.

Why do my stuffed peppers fall apart? ›

The goal is to tenderize them before they're stuffed and baked, but generally the poor fellas are over-boiled, which results in their tendency to fall apart and, as noted, be flavorless. But peppers can have tons of flavor when given the right treatment. The trick is to roast them at high heat.

I love to use thyme on my sautéed bell peppers. But there are other herbs that also compliment the sweetness of them that you can use, too. Try adding basil, chives, cilantro, coriander, cumin, curry, garlic, marjoram, or rosemary to you bell peppers when cooking for more amazing flavor combinations.

They are indeed excellent when eaten raw, but roasting transforms them. It deepens their flavor, and the olive oil and spices further enhance it. It's an entirely different experience than eating them in their raw state.

Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers have similar amounts of nutrients. However, red bell peppers are considered the healthiest because they have more lycopene.

Grill them.

Grilled peppers have chard outsides and soft juicy insides, delicious to eat alone, as a side or add to a sandwich. Turn up your grill to medium and brush the grill with olive oil. Cut peppers into halves and put skin side down on the grill. Turn occasionally for 6-8 minutes until peppers are soft.

RECIPE DIRECTIONS

Cook for 1-2 minutes. Note we like to start cooking the pepper first (before the onion) because it takes longer for pepper to cook down to the same softness. Add the onion to the same pan and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes until it's just starting to soften. Add salt and pepper to taste.