Freezing Stuffed Peppers – From Plant to Freezer

Each year I happily and thankfully harvest an abundance of produce from our victory garden and coming up with ways not to waste any of that goodness is always a fun challenge for me.

We love stuffed peppers but let’s face it they are a lot of work and take some time to cook. I have heard of many ways to prepare stuffed peppers but I prefer them slow cooked in sauce. The flavor of the pepper infuses the sauce and the fresh basil…oh my! So good.

Stuffed peppers are on my yearly list to prep in bulk and freeze for the winter. I stuff the peppers and freeze them whole and raw. Yes, I use rice and yes I prefer them whole but they can also be stuffed with the peppers cut in half and frozen first on a tray then bagged once frozen for long term storage.

This post isn’t about a particular stuffed pepper recipe, but more a method and a way to be more efficient and less wasteful with food production and it saves money!

I like to order a bulk amount of ground beef ahead of time from my local grocer, when I know I want to do multiple food prep projects using beef.

Just get your beef, wash and core your sweet peppers, cook your rice if that is what you are using and any other ingredients like eggs, milk, garlic, breadcrumbs and herbs ready for assembly.

Mix together all of the meat stuffing ingredients and pack it into the cored peppers. Yes, I do it all raw and pop the stuffed peppers into a heavy duty freezer bag, mark with contents and date and freeze.

When I want stuffed peppers I simply plop 4 or 5 frozen peppers into my hot spaghetti sauce and let them cook for a few hours. Seriously that’s it. No need to unfreeze ahead of time.

If you prefer prepping half peppers instead of whole, it’s the same process but I would freeze them first on a baking sheet before putting them in a plastic freezer bag for long term storage. Some people bake their stuffed peppers in the oven instead of cooking them in sauce but I would still prep them the same as well.

Prepping stuffed peppers is so satisfying. Especially when all you have to do to use them is plop them in a pot of sauce or bake them in the oven. Easy peasy!

Next up… I have a whole list of food prep goals for the winter. Applesauce and grape jelly are on that list. Until next time! -MM