Stuffed Mini Peppers (Stuffed Peppers Filling)
Classic stuffed mini peppers make an incredible comfort meal, perfect for a crowd. Sweet mini peppers are filled with a flavorful chicken-and-pork mixture and baked to juicy perfection in a homemade sauce. Inspired by goluptsi, these stuffed mini peppers pack all the flavor in a juicy pepper.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs mini bell peppers
- 1/2 cup uncooked rice rinsed
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 large carrot shredded
- 3/4 lb ground pork
- 1/2 lb ground chicken
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp dill chopped
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Vegeta or your favorite seasoning
Sauce -
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 3 Tbsp sour cream
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Trim off the tops of the mini peppers and clean out the insides.
- Boil the rice for 12 minutes and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Heat a pan and add 2 tbsp of butter. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and saute until softened.
- In the same pan, add the grated carrot and the remaining butter, and sauté until the carrots are tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the rice, vegetable mixture, pork, chicken, garlic, mayo, dill, and seasoning. Mix until everything is well incorporated.
- Stuff every pepper with the filling and arrange in a casserole dish.
- In a saucepan, whisk together ketchup, sour cream, and butter, and bring to a soft boil.
- Whisk in the chicken broth, cream, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the sauce over the peppers and cover with foil.
- Bake at 400°F for 40-50 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and cooked through.
- Serve the stuffed peppers with sour cream and fresh dill.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the rice. While some recipes call for uncooked rice, we’ve found the best results come from rice that’s partially cooked but still slightly firm. This allows it to finish cooking inside the peppers without turning mushy.
- Taste the filling. Before stuffing the peppers, cook a small spoonful of the meat mixture in a pan and taste it. This helps you check the seasoning and adjust if needed so the final dish is perfectly flavored.
- Storage. Leftover mini stuffed peppers store well! Keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Warm the peppers in a skillet or in the oven until heated through. Serve with sour cream and fresh dill if desired.
- Freeze. Mini stuffed peppers freeze well. Let the cooked peppers cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 20–30 minutes, or until heated through.