Dinner
HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE UNSTUFFED PEPPERS: A QUICK DINNER RECIPE
TRY THIS QUICK SIMPLE UNSTUFFED PEPPERS RECIPE TONIGHT IN LESS THAN 30 MINUTES! HEARTY, FREEZER-FRIENDLY PLUS THE KIDS WILL LOVE IT TOO.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
WHAT ARE UNSTUFFED PEPPERS?
Unstuffed peppers is a twist on traditional stuffed peppers. The twist is that we are actually making all of the goodness without stuffing a pepper with it!
Before we had kids, I always made traditional stuffed peppers for my husband and I. This has always been a recipe that we repeat in our home, for good reason! Fast forward to life now, with two toddlers.
I found myself continuing to make stuffed peppers regularly, but would always have to “unstuff” the peppers for my kids. Those empty peppers would inevitably end up in the compost bin. Our kids are pretty good eaters, but they certainly do not like cooked peppers.
So, unstuffed peppers were born!
MEAL PREP AND FREEZER-FRIENDLY RECIPE
To my fellow meal-preppers out there, you’ll want to pin this one for later. We often make this stuffed pepper recipe on the stovetop while another meal is cooking in the oven or in the crock pot.
Because this meal is constantly on repeat in our farmhouse, I will often make double batches of it and freeze some for later. There’s really nothing better than pulling a homemade meal out of the freezer in a pinch!
Another reason why we love this recipe so much is because it is made with simple ingredients. These ingredients are likely sitting in your kitchen right now, so no need to run out to the grocery store in search of a random ingredient.
My meal-prepping is done bi-weekly, generally on Sunday and Wednesday. We love this schedule, as it allows us the freedom to do different things on non-cooking nights. This is especially important when our garden is in full swing and we would much rather be outside! Be sure to check out my Simple Meal Prep Tips for Busy People post for more meal-prepping ideas!
UNSTUFFED PEPPERS FOR A QUICK DINNER IDEA
Before kids, I wasn’t into meal-prepping. So I can totally understand those of you who just aren’t into it!
This simple unstuffed peppers recipe is the perfect solution for a quick after-work dinner idea. Unstuffed peppers can be made in about 30 minutes, so there’s no stress that dinner won’t be on the table in time!
NOW ONTO THE SNEAKY PART
Did I mention that unstuffed peppers are my kids FAVORITE meal?! Literally their favorite, and I feel good feeding it to them because of a little secret.
I’ll let you friends in on my secret, but please don’t tell my kids. I’ve got a good thing going here …
Remember those bell peppers we used to discard because nobody would eat? Well, in unstuffed peppers we are throwing those peppers into the food processor and mixing it into the unstuffed pepper mix.
This recipe can be made with chopped peppers, or more of a pepper “puree” depending on your preference (and the preferences of who you are feeding it to). When I would dice the peppers for this recipe, my kids would pick them out. Now we chop the peppers in the food processor until they are essentially mush, and the kids never know they’re eating them.
HOW TO PRESERVE GARDEN PEPPERS
Each year in our vegetable garden, we grow a fair amount of pepper plants. Our family does go through a significant amount of peppers, plus we like to freeze a bunch for use all year long.
- Harvest the pepper from the plant when ripe.
- Thoroughly wash the peppers.
- Slice peppers removing any tops and seeds.
- Be sure to save some of the seeds if you plan to plant heirloom peppers again!
- Cut the peppers into strips (or dice them).
- Place in a Ziplock bag in the freezer until use later.
As a side note, it’s so funny that our kids will taste raw garden peppers but not cooked ones! Gardening is amazing for kids and really inspires them to be more open to eating more or different vegetables. Our kids especially enjoy snow peas, green beans and cucumbers!
HOW TO USE FROZEN PEPPERS TO MAKE UNSTUFFED PEPPERS
When you are ready to make a big batch of unstuffed peppers, grab some of your frozen peppers out of their freezer bag. Then, simply throw the pepper strips into a strainer and run hot water over them until they begin to thaw.
Then the peppers can be cut into small pieces and chopped or thrown into the food processor.
In a pinch, I have thrown frozen chunks of peppers into the mixture and just let it simmer for a little while. Works just as well!
TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE SIMPLE UNSTUFFED PEPPERS
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
- Strainer
- Food Processor (we have a miniature one like this, but a newer model is linked because our actual model is no longer available)
- Cast Iron Pan
- Cutting Board
- Spatula
- Coconut Oil (enough to coat cast iron pan)
- 1 small white onion
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 2 Bell Peppers
- 1 C Jasmine Rice
- 1 1/2C Water
- Tomato Sauce (24 oz) we prefer to use a tomato basil variety
- Mrs. Dash
HOW TO COOK JASMINE RICE
Any type of rice can be used in this recipe, but our family prefers Jasmine. I explain how to cook Jasmine rice HERE.
MAKING UNSTUFFED PEPPERS
Apply a generous layer of coconut oil to your cast iron pan and set it on the stove over low-medium heat.
Dice the onion and throw it into the cast iron pan for about two minutes.
At this time, start making the Jasmine rice. Pour 1 1/2C water into a saucepan and add a small amount of coconut oil. Bring to a boil. Once the water starts to boil, 1 C of rice will be added then reduce to a simmer for 12 minutes. This gives enough time to work with the meat portion. Do not remove the lid while the rice is simmering (don’t stir either).
Now, turn the heat in the cast iron pan up to medium. Once the pan is nice and hot, add the ground beef. Continually chop the ground beef up into little bits as it is cooking.
Once the ground beef is cooked, add a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash and mix in. Then add tomato sauce and turn the heat down to low.
While the ground beef is cooking, use a food processor to puree the bell peppers. If you prefer little pieces of peppers, just chop them up. The peppers can be added to the cast iron pan.
Once the rice is done cooking, add it to the cast iron pan with the other ingredients.
Allow to simmer on the stove for about 5-10 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
UNSTUFFED PEPPERS PRINTABLE (AND PINNABLE) RECIPE CARD
SIMPLE UNSTUFFED PEPPERS RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
- Coconut Oil (enough to coat cast iron pan)
- 1 small white onion
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 2 Bell Peppers
- 1 C Jasmine Rice
- Tomato Sauce (24 oz) we prefer to use a tomato basil variety
- Mrs. Dash
- 1 1/2 C Water (for rice)
INSTRUCTIONS
Apply a generous layer of coconut oil to your cast iron pan and set it on the stove over low-medium heat.
Dice the onion and throw it into the cast iron pan for about two minutes.
At this time, start making the Jasmine rice. Pour 1 1/2C water into a saucepan and add a small amount of coconut oil. Bring to a boil. Once the water starts to boil, 1 C of rice will be added then reduce to a simmer for 12 minutes. This gives enough time to work with the meat portion. Do not remove the lid while the rice is simmering (don’t stir either).
Now, turn the heat in the cast iron pan up to medium. Once the pan is nice and hot, add the ground beef. Continually chop the ground beef up into little bits as it is cooking.
Once the ground beef is cooked, add a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash and mix in. Then add tomato sauce and turn the heat down to low.
While the ground beef is cooking, use a food processor to puree the bell peppers. If you prefer little pieces of peppers, just chop them up. The peppers can be added to the cast iron pan.
Once the rice is done cooking, add it to the cast iron pan with the other ingredients.
Allow to simmer on the stove for about 5-10 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
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