Stuffed Peppers with Pork, Caramelized Onions, and Jasmine Rice
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Keyword: hearty, stuffed peppers, winter food
Prep Time: 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 1 hourhour
Total Time: 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Servings: 6pepper halves
Calories: 789kcal
Enjoy a comforting dinner with these delicious stuffed peppers made with ground pork, jasmine rice, Mozzarella / Jalapeno Havarti cheese, and caramelized onions on a bed of tomato sauce! An easy weeknight meal for busy nights.
3largebell peppers (any colour)rinsed, trimmed, seeded and cut into half lengthwise
3¾cupsTomato sauce of your choice
1Tablespoonwhite sugar
6slicesJalapeno-Havarti cheese
Instructions
Caramelize Onions
Sautée diced onions with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a non-stick pan using 3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant. Remove pan off the heat and let it cool on the side. Reserve 1/4 cup onions in a small bowl for the sauce later.
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Prepare the filling and stuff the peppers
Combine ground pork, kosher salt, dried oregano, chicken bouillon powder, ground black pepper, minced garlic, caramelized onion, and flat-leaf parsley in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked (day old) rice to the mixture and mix it with the ground pork until combined. Finally, add cubed mozzarella cheese to the stuffing and mix it briefly.
After rinsing the bell peppers, use a paring knife to cut around the stem. Then, cut each pepper in half lengthwise and remove the stem and the seeds held together by the white flesh, also known as ribs. Once you have done that, flip the pepper over and tap it gently to remove any excess seeds.
Layer tomato sauce into a 9x13-inch glass baking dish and add 1 Tablespoon white sugar and the reserved 1/4 cup caramelized onions. Stir to combine.
Stuff each pepper half with the prepared filling according to your size preference. The amount of filling affects baking time. Less filling requires reduced baking time; more filling requires increased baking time. Extra filling can be shaped into meatballs and placed between the peppers.
Bake the peppers
Cover the peppers with aluminum foil and bake them on the middle oven rack for 1 hour or until an instant food thermometer inserted into the center of the filling reads between 155°F to 160°F.
Carefully remove the aluminum foil, place sliced jalapeno-havarti cheese on each pepper and broil on high for 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Garnish peppers with freshly chopped parsley, serve with the tomato sauce and enjoy!
Video
Notes
What kind of rice can I use? Should it be pre-cooked?For this dish, day-old, cooked Jasmine rice works best! It will give you a firmer texture and better flavour absorption. However, you can also use other types like cooked brown rice, long-grain, or basmati. I recommend cooking it beforehand to avoid undercooked rice due to the lack of liquid in the stuffing. If you don't have time to make the rice a day ahead, cook it fresh with less water than the package suggests; that way, you will still get a firm texture with some flavour absorption.What type of cheese should I use?I used what I had on hand: Mozzarella and Jalapeno Havarti. You can use any cheese that melts well, such as Cheddar, Provolone, or Gouda.What type of ground meat should I use?I used ground pork, but you can swap it for any ground meat you like, such as ground beef, chicken, or even turkey.Toppings? Any other suggestions?Melted cheese can be a delicious topping for stuffed peppers. For a crunchy texture, sprinkle a bit of panko on top of the cheese. If you're not a melted cheese fan, add more tomato sauce and a sprinkle of parsley instead. And if you like it spicy, try adding some chili pepper flakes for an extra kick.Helpful hints:
Adding sugar to tomato sauce not only enhances the flavour, but also reduces its acidity.
If you prefer stuffed peppers with a softer texture, you can blanch the seeded peppers in hot boiling water for a few minutes before stuffing them. This will make the peppers tender without having to add more baking time. However, if you like a firmer texture, you can use raw bell peppers to bake the stuffed peppers.