Stuffed peppers are a nutritious and delicious meal option, no matter which filling you choose. But they can be a little fiddly to put together, so can you batch prepare them? Can you freeze them? And is it safe to freeze stuffed peppers?
Can You Freeze Stuffed Peppers?
Yes, you can freeze stuffed peppers for up to 3 months. You can freeze them uncooked or cooked. Either way, they need to be kept airtight in the freezer and only stored when they are cooled.
Do Do Stuffed Peppers freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Stuffed Peppers? No
How to Freeze Stuffed Peppers
You can freeze cooked or uncooked stuffed peppers; the choice is yours. While the freezing method for each is similar, we explain them separately below to avoid any confusion:
How to Freeze Uncooked Stuffed Peppers
If you’re pushed for time and simply need to get the stuffed peppers frozen ASAP then this is the method to use:
- Wrap Individually: Wrap each of your peppers in tin foil. Not only does this protect them from freezer burn, but it ensures the fillings donāt spill out everywhere.
- Place in a Container: Choose a suitably sized freezer-safe container and stand your peppers within.
- Cover, Label, and Freeze: Place a lid on your chosen container and write todayās date and the use-by date of the peppers before placing them in the freezer. Remember, you can freeze stuffed peppers for around three months.
How to Freeze Cooked Stuffed Peppers
Where possible, we would recommend freezing them cooked. This is the best way to freeze them as it will save you far more time in future. All you need to do, once defrosted, is warm them through:
- Cool: The biggest difference between freezing uncooked and cooked peppers is that you need to allow time for the latter to cool before freezing them. Allow them to stand at room temperature before proceeding to the next step.
- Wrap individually: Wrap each of your peppers in tin foil. Not only does this protect them from freezer burn, but it ensures the fillings donāt spill out everywhere.
- Place in a Container: Choose a suitably sized freezer-safe container and stand your peppers within.
- Cover, Label, and Freeze: Place a lid on your chosen container and write todayās date, as well as the use-by date of the peppers, before
3 Tips for Freezing Stuffed Peppers
Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing stuffed peppers to have the best results:
Defrost Before Cooking
No matter what youāve filled your stuffed peppers with, you should thaw them before you cook them. Cooking them straight from frozen can cause them to heat unevenly, so itās always better to cook them from room temperature.
Leave Off Toppings
If youāre planning to add toppings like cheese or a particular sauce to your stuffed peppers, leave them off until youāre ready to cook them. You can either freeze them separately or prepare them fresh when the time comes to cook and enjoy your peppers in the future.
Donāt Slice
Some people like to slice their stuffed peppers before serving them up, and thereās nothing wrong with doing so. But weād advise you not to slice your peppers before freezing them, as you will find the whole freezing process a lot more of a hassle than freezing them whole!
How Long Can You Freeze Stuffed Peppers?
You can freeze stuffed peppers for around three months. Some people are happy to freeze them for longer than this, but weād recommend sticking to this timeframe if you want your peppers to taste great when youāre ready to enjoy them.
Leaving them in the freezer for too long can cause them to lose some of their flavours.
How Do You Defrost Stuffed Peppers?
The night before youāre ready to eat your stuffed peppers, remove them from the freezer and place them in the fridge. You can leave them in their freezer wrapping until youāre ready to cook them.
Itās best not to defrost them in the microwave as you can overheat them. You shouldnāt thaw your stuffed peppers at room temperature, particularly if they contain meat or dairy.
Can You Refreeze Stuffed Peppers?
You should only freeze stuffed peppers once. The freezing process causes ice particles to form on the peppers and fillings, which can cause them to go soggy if you do it more than once.
Also, certain ingredients should only be frozen once, so you must be careful when youāre freezing stuffed peppers containing multiple ingredients.
Do Stuffed Peppers Freeze Well?
You will find that stuffed peppers freeze well if you cover them well. Leaving the peppers exposed to freezer burn will ruin them, so you must ensure theyāre tightly wrapped and stored in a freezer-safe container.
Otherwise, when theyāre ready to serve, your dinner guests probably wonāt be able to tell that theyāve been frozen.
Stuffed Peppers Freezer Recipe
If you’re looking for the simplest yet tastiest freezer-friendly recipe for stuffed peppers, try this one out. You can fill these with either beef or lentils depending on whether or not you want them to be vegetarian-friendly or not:
Freezer-Friendly Stuffed Peppers Recipe
4
servings20
minutes45
minutes1
hour5
minutesStuffed peppers might sound a little boring and generic, but these are far from bland!
Keeps the screen of your device ON
Ingredients
1tbsp Olive Oil
1 White Onion, Diced
3 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
500g Beef Mince or Cooked Lentils
1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
1tbsp Dried Oregano
1tsp Dried Chilli Flakes
1 Stock Cube, Beef or Vegetable
2tbsp Tomato Puree
4 Peppers
125g Grated Mozzarella or Cheddar
Handful Basil Leaves
Salt
Black Pepper
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C and then heat the olive oil in a large frying pan.
- Once the oil is hot, add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes or so until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and beef (or lentils) into the pan and cook until the meat is completely browned with no visible pink.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, oregano, chilli, stock cube and puree. Fill the empty tin halfway with water, swish it around to clean the inside of it, and then add this to the pan. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down low and simmer, with a lid on, for 25 minutes.
- While the filling simmers away, cut the peppers in half through the stalk to the base. Scoop out the seeds. Place them into a baking tray open side up, drizzle with oil, salt and black pepper, and then roast for 20 minutes in the oven.
- Remove the peppers from the oven, spoon the filling mixture into them and then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or so. You want the top to be golden brown but not burnt. Serve with your basil leaves sprinkled over the top.
Notes
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing stuffed peppers or peppers in general, then these may help:
Both cooked and uncooked stuffed peppers freeze well. There is no clear, best way to freeze them. If you have leftovers then freezing them cooked is fine. If you’re batch preparing them, pop them into the freezer before cooking them.
Yes, stuffed pepper filling can be frozen. Once cooked and cooled, portion the filling into Tupperware containers, seal, label and freeze.
