Stuffed Peppers always bring excitement to the table, the promise of a special gift inside a tasty wrapper. This easy recipe yields stuffed peppers that are sweet and tender and packed full of delicious savory pork stuffing with rosemary, garlic and parmesan.
This recipe comes from one of my favorite food writers, Nigel Slater. His recipes are rustic, unfussy and irresistible. I've been reading through some of his cookbooks lately and these stuffed peppers felt like the perfect thing to cook right now. They are one of his most popular recipes.
Here's what Nigel says about them:
The deep sweetness of a roasted pepper makes it a suitable candidate for an exceptionally savoury filling. I have given several versions of this over the years: the most recent is a filling of highly seasoned minced pork with rosemary, Parmesan and garlic. I think of it as the best yet!
How To Make Stuffed Peppers
I've had some fails with stuffed peppers over the years - the worst is when they come out of the oven with delicious tender stuffing encased in a hard, fibrous shell. I was determined not to let that happen again!
The ideal consistency for stuffed peppers is tender but not to the point of falling apart. They have to be able to hold the filling but should also be fairly soft and sweet. The solution is to pre boil them.
- Slice the peppers in half and carefully cut out the seeds and membranes. I like to slice right through the stem. I think they look pretty that way.
- Toss the trimmed peppers into a big pot of salted boiling water and let them soften up for about 8 minutes.
- Drain them in a colander and set them aside while you make the filling.
SAVORY PORK STUFFING
The filling for these stuffed peppers is a simple mix of onions, garlic, fresh rosemary and tomatoes, simmered gently and then mixed with raw ground pork and panko bread crumbs.
Scoop the pork mixture into the prepared peppers. sprinkle with parmesan and pop them into a 400º oven for 35 minutes.
This recipe calls for six small red peppers, halved. You end up with twelve stuffed pepper halves which can feed 4-6 people - 2 or 3 peppers per person - depending on how hungry everyone is and what you're serving on the side.
There's only three quarters of a pound of pork in the whole batch, so although this dish tastes meaty and satisfying, it's actually lighter than you might think.
If you're a fan of bell peppers, here are a few more Panning The Globe recipes you might enjoy:
- Roasted Red Peppers: Two Roasting Techniques and How To Marinate Them
- Crispy Italian Fried Potatoes and Peppers
- Sausages Onions Potatoes Peppers and Green Beans
When they come out of the oven it's love at first sight! And deeper love at first bite!!
Suggested Side Dishes with Stuffed Peppers
For dinner, serve two or three stuffed peppers per person with a big leafy salad. Here are three of my favorite salads:
- Raw Kale Salad with Honey Lemon and Parmesan
- Classic Italian Insalata Tricolore
- Butter Lettuce Salad with Citrus Honey Vinaigrette
Here's the recipe for Nigel Slater's Best Stuffed Peppers Recipe. If you try this recipe I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think.
PrintNigel Slater's Best Stuffed Peppers Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour
Description
Savory stuffed peppers with pork, rosemary, garlic and parmesan. This wonderful festive dish can be ready in less than an hour.
Ingredients
- 6 small red bell peppers
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3-4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary, from 3 large sprigs
- 2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¾ pound of ground pork
- ¾ cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 ounces of freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Slice each pepper in half, through the stem, and carefully cut out the membranes and remove the seeds. Drop them into a big pot of salted boiling water and let them cook for 6-8 minutes, until they are softened a bit. Drain, cut side down in a colander. Arrange, skin side down in a baking dish. You may need two baking dishes, depending on your cookware and the size of the peppers. Sprinkle the insides of each pepper with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet. Sauté onions on medium-low heat until translucent (don't let them brown). Add garlic and rosemary. Cook, stirring, for a minute or so, until fragrant. Add chopped tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes or so, until the tomatoes soften into the sauce. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for a minute or so. Remove from heat. Add the pork, breadcrumbs, a teaspoon of salt and several grinds of pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the pork mixture between the peppers. Brush or drizzle on a little olive oil. Sprinkle ¾ of the parmesan cheese over the peppers. Bake for 35 minutes, until hot and sizzling.
- Serve hot with remaining parmesan cheese sprinkled on top
Notes
This recipe is adapted, just slightly, from A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater
Nutrition Information: The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for a the advice of a professional nutritionist.
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: Main Dish, Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: British
Let's Stay in Touch! Follow Panning The Globe on Facebook and Pinterest for more recipes and cooking inspiration.
Hilary
I used a mix of pork & beef, and I cooked the meat for about 15 mins, then stuffed the peppers and baked, absolutely beautiful. I have enough of the meat stuffing left and have frozen, and I'm sure this will give more depth of flavour, cant wait.
Lisa Goldfinger
I'm glad you enjoyed the peppers! Great idea to make extra stuffing and freeze it for next time.
Erica
This might be obvious but, I’m not cooking the pork first right… just raw pork added and then it gets baked?!
Lisa Goldfinger
Hi Erica - yes, you are correct. Sorry if the recipe was unclear. The aromatics are cooked and then the raw pork and breadcrumbs are mixed in and stuffed into the peppers. The pork cooks inside the peppers.
Jan
If I want to freeze them should I bake them first
Lisa Goldfinger
I Jan - Yes, I suggest you bake them first and then freeze them once they've cooled.
Ethan R.
Stuffed peppers! One of my all-time favorite dishes. The pork makes it feel very indulgent. Sometimes I make them vegetarian with beans and rice.
Lisa Kerhin
I love that you used rosemary in this dish. My favorite herb. I make stuffed peppers. I used to boil the peppers too, but then I roasted them in the oven with a little olive oil to soften them....I think it gives them a bit more flavor.
Karly
Delicious! Thanks for sharing, I will be making this soon for sure.