What is it about the smell of classic stuffed peppers that instantly relaxes me? It’s the best of simple ingredients–fresh beef, onions, tomatoes, and seasonings that come together in their own little portable, edible bowls . . . comfort. Stuffed peppers used to be a slightly complicated and lengthy process until I discovered that you could make them in the instant pot. Trust me when I say that the instant pot is a game changer of sorts for this dish.
Apparently many 'pot heads' have multiple pots so they would likely cook the rice in one pot and the use their other Instant Pot for the peppers. I haven't fallen down the rabbit hole quite that much so I only have the one pot. I did have rice left over from dinner the night before so I used that in my peppers.
With this recipe you cook the peppers first and them brow them under the broiler - be careful with removing the peppers from the pot and getting them ready to broil as they will be soft and breakable at this point.
Final comment - it is fall here and we sent much of our lives in darkness so the lighting in my blog pics will suffer as a result. Don't let that deter you from a delicious culinary creation!
Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers
5 medium or 4 large bell peppers
1 lb ground beef (chicken or turkey would also work)
1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 small sweet onion diced
1 small tomato diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup water
8 tablespoons marinara sauce
8 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
Fresh parsley, chopped
Wash the peppers, cut off their tops, remove the seeds and clean the inside well by removing gently all the veins.
In a large bowl combine all the ingredients starting with the ground beef - up to the chopped parsley. Stir well to fully combine.
Stuff the prepared peppers equally with the mixture.
Add a trivet with handles to the Instant Pot or a steamer basket.
Add 1 cup of water and arrange the peppers onto the trivet.
Close the lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes + 5 minutes Natural Release. Turn off the heat. Release the remaining pressure manually and carefully open the lid.
Using the handles of the trivet or steamer basket, carefully remove the peppers from the pot.
Turn on the oven broiler.
Add stuffed peppers to a baking dish.
Top each pepper with 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce and 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Transfer the baking dish into the oven under the broiler and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted.
Remove from oven, garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve.
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