Sweet And Sour Stuffed Peppers

Sweet and sour stuffed peppers are a popular Chinese dish. They are usually made with regular green bell peppers, but as this sweet and sour dish originates from Guangzhou, I prefer to use fresh red chilies. First cut the chili into 2 parts and then remove the seeds from inside and also from under the cap. Wash the chilies in cold water and cut them into thin sticks of about 1 cm or ½ inch.

Sweet and Sour Couscous-Stuffed Peppers

• Level: Intermediate
• Total: 1 hr 10 min

• Prep: 15 min
• Cook: 55 min

• Yield: 4 servings

Stuff couscous and beef into sweet bell peppers for a nutritious protein-packed meal. The bold colors of the antioxidant-packed bell peppers aren’t just for decoration-the more bright colors you can pile onto your plate, the healthier your meal will be.

Ingredients

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2 medium carrots, cut into chunks

2 stalks celery, cut into chunks

1 large shallot, cut into chunks

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 pound lean ground beef

2 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons tomato paste

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley, dill or a combination

1/3 cup golden raisins

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Kosher salt

4 red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers or a mix of colors, halved lengthwise and seeded

1/2 cup whole wheat couscous

3/4 cup grated asiago cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Pulse the carrots, celery and shallots in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. (Add a splash of water if the mixture begins to stick.) Add the ground beef and 4 teaspoons of the tomato paste and cook, breaking the mixture up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, the parsley, raisins, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until most of the water is absorbed and the mixture gets saucy, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, toss the pepper halves with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until the peppers are pliable, 10 to 12 minutes. Carefully uncover the bowl and pour out any liquid that has accumulated.
4. Stir the couscous into the beef mixture. Whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 3/4 cup water in the bottom of a large baking dish.
5. Carefully transfer the peppers to the baking dish cut-side up and fill each pepper with the couscous mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake until the peppers are tender and the stuffing is hot, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature drizzled with the tomato cooking liquid.

SWEET AND SOUR STUFFED PEPPERS

• 5PREP TIME MINUTES
• 90TOTAL TIME MINUTES
• 7NUMBER OF INGREDIENTS
• 4SERVINGS

• Pork, 
• Vegetable, 
• Over 45 min, 
• Main Dish, 
• VH, 
• Summer, 
• Spring, 
• Fall, 
• Winter, 
• Oven, 
• Asian, 
• Chinese New Year

INGREDIENTS

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• 4 large red, orange or yellow peppers; tops sliced off, seeds and membranes removed
• 1 tbsp. (15 mL) vegetable oil
• 1 lb. (500 g) ground pork
• 1 jar VH® Sweet & Sour Sauce
• 1 cup (250 mL) Hunt’s® Thick & Rich Original Pasta Sauce
• 1 cup (250 mL) parboiled rice
• 1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas, not thawed

DIRECTIONS

• STEP ONEPre-heat oven to 400°F (200°C).
• STEP TWOIn a large pot, heat oil over medium-high and stir-fry the pork until it is browned; about 5 minutes.
• STEP THREEOnce pork is browned, stir in VH® Sweet & Sour Sauce, Hunt’s® Thick & Rich Original Pasta Sauce, rice and 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) water. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes; remove from heat and stir in frozen peas.
• STEP FOURUsing a large soup spoon, scoop rice mixture into the peppers until full; place tops of peppers back on. Place any excess rice mixture into a medium baking dish and place peppers firmly on top. Add 2 tbsp. (30 mL) water to dish and cover completely with foil.
• STEP FIVECook in oven until rice and peppers are tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes.

Wholesome sweet & sour stuffed peppers

An easy, tasty family evening meal with a Chinese sweet and sour flavour! Created for the Uncle Ben’s ‘Back to School Buddy’ campaign. All Uncle Ben’s sauces include real, wholesome ingredients and contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Uncle Ben’s sauces are packed with chunky vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, bamboo shoots, peppers and onions.

• Preparation: 3 mins
• Cooking: 17 mins
• Serves: 4

What you need:

• 500g jar Uncle Ben’s Original Sweet & Sour sauce
• 2 250g pouches of Uncle Ben’s Express Egg Fried rice
• 1 large red pepper
• 1 large green pepper
• 1 large orange pepper
• 1 large yellow pepper
• 325g pack mixed stir fry vegetables
• 2 tsp vegetable oil

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°c/fan oven 180°c/gas mark 6. Cut the peppers in half through their stalks (if they have them). Carefully cut away the seeds and any white pith, leaving the stalk intact. Place the peppers cut side up, onto a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until softened
2. 10 minutes before the end of the peppers’ cooking time, heat the oil in a large wok or frying pan and stir fry the vegetables for 3-4 minutes. Pour over the Uncle Ben’s Original Sweet & Sour sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes until warmed through. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the instructions and stir into the vegetable mixture
3. Remove the peppers from the oven and spoon the stir fry mixture into the centre. Serve immediately

Mexican Stuffed Peppers Recipe [Video]

Mexican Stuffed Peppers are filled with ground beef, green chiles, rice, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning. This is the perfect dinner to have any night of the week.

This is one of our favorite meals to make. It is easy, delicious, and very colorful. For more Mexican inspired dishes, you can also try our taco soup, chicken enchilada, or homemade guacamole.

The best mexican stuffed peppers

Mexican Stuffed Peppers is one of those dishes that will make everyone in your family happy. It is an easy recipe to make, but very flavorful and filled with Mexican-inspired spices. This is basically the classic version of stuffed peppers, with a southwestern spin to it.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

We love making it during the week because they are absolutely delicious and they can be prepared ahead of time

This meal is healthy, satisfying, and filled with delicious and rich flavors. We used various pepper colors to give it a more festive look to it. However, you can use whichever kind you have on hand.

The pepper is loaded with ground meat, like pork and beef, green chiles, taco seasoning, enchilada sauce, and cheese. Also, we have added some chili powder to give the filling a little kick to it. Serve them with some sour cream, fresh cilantro, and extra salsa for garnish.

How to make mexican stuffed peppers?

They are super easy to make and require little preparation time.

• Start by stuffing the bell peppers with the filling (made with ground beef, pork, and rice).
• Once filled, place them in a baking dish and top with enchilada sauce and cheese.
• Then, simply bake for about 35 minutes till cooked and cheese is melted.
• Top them with your favorite toppings and serve.
• It’s that easy!

Recipe variations and substitutions:

• Feel free to substitute quinoa or brown rice for white rice.
• For Low Carb Stuffed Peppers use cauliflower rice. It is a great substitute for regular white rice. The cooking time will vary a bit since the brown rice usually cooks longer. 
• Use ground chicken, pork, or turkey in place of ground beef.
• Additionally, you can add jalapenos, black beans, corn mushrooms, grape tomatoes if you feel like mixing things up.
• Use a mixture of cheese you like the most. We have used cheddar cheese for topping. However, any others will work just as fine. Such cheeses as mozzarella, pepper jack are also blending nicely with this recipe.
• For Vegetarian Mexican Stuffed Peppers, simply swap the chicken for a 15-ounce can of rinsed and drained black beans. Also, for even more flavor and color, add some corn to it. It is super delicious!
• Dairy-Free Stuffed Peppers. Omit the cheese and top the finished peppers with lots of creamy avocados instead, or guacamole. Also, feel free to use a dairy-free cheese alternative.

Can you make stuffed peppers in the instant pot?

Please note, the Instant Pot version is for the classic recipe, therefore make sure to use the ingredients from this post for the Mexican version.

How to make stuffed peppers in the slow cooker?

• To make this dish in the slow cooker, simply follow the same instructions as in the recipe card.
• Then, place the filled peppers in the Slow Cooker, and top with either tomato sauce or marinara sauce.
• Add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the Slow Cooker.
• Lastly, cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Want to make taco night?

This recipe works great to make Taco Stuffed Pepper as well. All you need is to add some lettuce, taco seasoning, onion, tomato, and jalapeno. Then, simply top it with sour cream or homemade guacamole. 

Can you make mexican stuffed peppers ahead of time?

Absolutely! The beauty of this recipe is that you can make them ahead of time. You can cook these fully following the recipe and then reheat them when you’re ready to eat.

Also, you could fill them with the mixture, and cover then refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. If preparing ahead of time, be sure to let the beef mixture cool before filling the peppers.

Recipe tips:

• As stated above, this recipe is very versatile and can be made with various other ingredients and flavors. For example, feel free to swap the meat with chorizo bulk sausage. Also, use any type of cheeses you love the most. Some great ones to use for toppings are Cheddar, Jack, or a Fiesta blended cheese. 
• You can easily double this recipe, by doubling the ingredients.

Sweet and sour stuffed cabbage rolls

Sweet and sour, subtle and succulent.

Some good things come down from old times and just stay with us. Like this recipe for stuffed, sweet and sour cabbage. Israelis love stuffed vegetables and depend on kindly grandmothers to provide them. Every kind of vegetable that can be hollowed out and stuffed, every edible leaf, receives a flavorful stuffing at the hands of our good cooks. The flavors usually echo North African kitchen traditions; garlic is called for, lots of herbs, and a little heat from chilies. But we’ve had Eastern European versions too – an entirely different way of handling cabbage. This dish is cabbage stuffed with meat and rice, slow-cooked in a subtle sweet and sour sauce.

These stuffed rolls make a nice little appetizer or form the basis of a solid meal, depending on how many each person is served. If meant as the main dish, mashed potatoes are traditionally served alongside. They make a perfect foil for the cabbage rolls in their rich sauce. And nothing beats mashed potatoes for comfort. I know that when I serve stuffed cabbage rolls and mashed potatoes, everyone leaves the table in a good mood. Maybe that’s what this dish is really all about: old-style comfort, and love.

Sweet and Sour Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

PREP40 mins

COOK TIME2 hrs 30 mins

YIELD12 rolls

Ingredients

• 1 large head white cabbage
• 2 lbs ground beef (or 1 lb ground chicken)
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup raw rice (preferably long-grain)
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 32 ounce can of tomatoes (blended to a puree with all their juice, or 2 lb. fresh, peeled tomatoes, pureed in a food processor)
• If using fresh tomatoes, add 1/2 cup water and 3 tablespoons tomato paste.
• 4 tbsp apple cider or red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups chopped cabbage from rest of cabbage head after separating leaves
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Mix the ground meat with the eggs, seasonings and rice. Cover and set aside for the flavors to meld.
• Fill a deep pan with enough water to cover the cabbage generously, and have the water boiling.
• Core the cabbage by working a sharp knife around the stem, as deeply as you can manage it.
• Drop the cabbage into the boiling water. Let it cook 2 or 3 minutes, or until the leaves have changed color and are visibly soft. Stick a long-handled fork into the hollowed-out bottom and transfer it to a deep bowl containing cold water. Let it cool a few minutes.
• Turn the cabbage right side up on a chopping block to drain. Carefully separate about 20 leaves of the best-looking and most whole leaves. The top ones may be too cooked to handle; keep peeling leaves off until you get to ones that are flexible but not overcooked. Any very large ones, slice in half the long way, alongside the rib. There’s always some tearing, but don’t worry, you can mend it. Set the leaves aside on a dish.
• Coarsely chop enough of the remaining fresh cabbage to fill 2 cups. Set aside in a separate bowl.
• Shape the meat mixture into a plump square. Keep it as even as possible. With a long knife, divide the square into thirds, then each third into three pieces. Wet your hands and lightly roll a piece between your palms to make a plump rectangle.
• Choose a cabbage leaf and place the meat rectangle at the base, above the stiff bottom. The curly top of the leaf should be face up. Roll the bottom up over the meat. Tuck the sides in once, and roll up. Keep rolling and tucking until the meat is encased in the leaf. Secure the bottom side with a toothpick. Fill all the leaves this way.
• Any leftover meat can be rolled into balls and placed around the stuffed leaves later.
• Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
• Make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet. Keeping the heat medium, cook and stir the onion until soft. Add the chopped cabbage; cook and stir until the cabbage wilts. Stir the garlic in.
• Add the blended canned tomatoes (or pureed fresh tomatoes with water and tomato paste).
• Stir in the vinegar and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes, lowering the heat if the sauce looks like it’s drying out. Taste and adjust the sweetness/sourness to your liking, adding more vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, in small quantities, until you’re satisfied.
• Place baking parchment on the bottom of a casserole dish or roasting pan. Ladle in enough of the sauce to cover the bottom of the paper. Place the stuffed rolls on the sauce, seam side down. Tuck any meatballs into corners.
• Ladle the rest of the sauce over the rolls. Cover the casserole with tin foil. Bake 2 hours. Try not to peek.
• Serve, and enjoy.

Tips and notes:

The baking paper is optional, to save cleanup. If you use it, trim the edges that stick out, so the paper doesn’t touch the interior of the oven and possibly burn.

Cabbage leaves can be curly and hard to separate without tearing. You can lay one leaf, or part of a leaf, over another to create an adequate wrapping. Secured with a toothpick, the roll will stay together.

If you’re neat-handed and can roll the stuffed leaves up tightly, you can dispense with the toothpicks.

I cooked half this recipe, as it was more convenient for me at the time. However, the proportions of the sauce ingredients stayed the same. I simply cooked the rolls an extra half hour to reduce the sauce. The cabbage rolls were delicious.