Freezing stuffed peppers is a very convenient preparation for the winter, which will help you save time preparing dinner. The semi-finished product freezes perfectly, does not lose its taste or shape.
How to freeze stuffed peppers for the winter:
- Boil rice until half cooked.
- Stuff vegetables with prepared rice porridge mixed with minced meat and spices;
- Lay out on a board, freeze and pack in containers or bags for storage.
That’s the whole recipe! In winter, stuffed peppers will be stewed in tomato sauce with carrots and onions (nothing needs to be thawed) and a delicious dinner will be provided. So cook a lot at once – the main thing is that there is enough space in the freezer.
Ingredients:
- Bulgarian pepper – 1 kg.
- Rice – 150 g (dry weight).
- Minced meat – 500 g.
- Onion (small) – 1 pc.
- Tomato – 1 pc.
- Salt – 0.5 tsp. in rice and 0.5 tsp. into the stuffing.
- Black ground pepper – 2 pinches.
How to cook:
1. Rinse rice, cover with plenty of cold water, salt. Put on a strong fire so that it boils quickly, and cook for 2 minutes. Then remove from heat and leave in hot water for 10 minutes – this way the grains will soften, but not lose their shape. Rinse the half-cooked rice, drain all the liquid and cool completely.
Absolutely any rice is suitable for this recipe, both round and long-grain, at your discretion.
2. Rinse the peppers under running water. Remove stems and seeds.
For stuffing, try to select medium-sized vegetables of about the same size.
3. Combine rice and mince. Add salt and ground black pepper, as well as finely chopped onion. It is best to cut the onion with a knife, and not grind it together with the meat through a meat grinder, then after freezing it will retain juiciness in minced meat.
4. Add the grated tomato – to do this, hold it by the skin when you grind on a grater so that only the pulp gets into the filling.
5. Knead the filling well with your hands. As you can see, the ratio of rice to meat should be 1:1. Stuff the peppers with a teaspoon.
6. Arrange vegetables in a single layer on a cutting board and freeze completely.
7. Then transfer to containers or bags with zippers – the higher the tightness of the package, the better, since the pepper has a very pronounced aroma and if it is poorly packaged, then the entire contents of your freezer will be soaked through with this “signature” smell.
Such a preparation can be stored up to 6 months.
Enjoy your meal!