How to freeze peppers for the winter for stuffing: instructions for preparing a tasty and healthy preparation

Bell peppers are considered one of the best known and most readily available sources of vitamin C among vegetables. Multi-colored, crispy, with a bright unique taste, rich in nutrients, it helps to strengthen the immune system and allows you to cook many dishes. It is stuffed, added to stews, soups, salads.

Stuffed peppers are quick and easy to make. In winter, it is difficult to buy vegetables suitable for filling in stores or at the market. Therefore, we suggest that you prepare the ingredients for this dish in the summer and store them in the freezer. Freezing is the healthiest way to preserve vegetables.

Freezing preparation

For storage in the freezer, the fleshy, dense, healthy fruits are selected from the harvested crop without damage, traces of mold and mildew... The pods are matched to the same size. The peppers are washed under running warm water, allowed to dry or wiped with a dry soft towel. After that, the stalk is removed and the seeds are removed.

Important! Do not completely cut off the ponytail. The smaller the hole on the top of the pepper, the more filling will remain in it when stewing.

For freezing, choose a separate compartment of the freezerso that the peppers lie loose, do not wrinkle or break. You can store the crop in ordinary plastic bags or containers.

The advantages of this storage method:

• when completely frozen, all useful vitamins and minerals are preserved in bell pepper pods;
• confidence in the quality of your crop and that it has not been subjected to repeated defrosting;
• saving the family budget: since the end of autumn, pepper is very expensive in markets and stores;
• cooking time before the arrival of guests is significantly reduced.

Read about freezing other vegetables:

How to freeze zucchini for the winter

How to freeze tomatoes for the winter

How to freeze green beans

How to freeze peppers for the winter for stuffing

Washed and peeled peppers are laid out on a cutting board or a special tray and placed in the quick-freeze compartment for 20-30 minutes... After this time, the frozen peppers are taken out, packaged in bags or containers for long-term storage and placed on a prepared shelf in the freezer.

Reference. At a temperature of -18 degrees, you can keep the harvest throughout the year.

This storage method is also suitable for blanched peppers. The pods are dipped in boiling water for 30 seconds, removed from the pan and immediately frozen. Heat treatment removes the bitterness of the fruit and retains more useful vitamins and nutrients.

For stuffing, not only whole pods are suitable, but also cut in half lengthwise... They are also frozen fresh and after blanching.

In the compartment, freezers with peppers are placed in storage and vegetables, which later used for filling pepper blanks:

• grated carrots;
• diced tomatoes;
• finely chopped greens.

Thus, time for stuffing and cooking from frozen products is saved, and the process itself gives only pleasure.

Other blanks:

The most delicious recipes for canned cherry tomatoes

How to cook green peas at home for the winter

Cooking a dish from frozen blanks

When preparing a lean dish, vegetables are put in peppers.:

• eggplant;
• carrot;
• cabbage;
• parsley;
• dill;
• cilantro;
• celery.

Both raw and steamed vegetables are suitable for the filling..

Pork, turkey, beef are used for stuffing with meat.... Mushrooms and rice are a great addition to both vegetable and meat fillings.

The prepared semi-finished product from peppers is taken out of the freezer and immediately filled with the filling... The pods are placed in a saucepan or saucepan in an upright position with the spout down. The container is filled with water. Salt, spices, tomato paste are added to taste. The dish is cooked over medium heat for 20-30 minutes.

Reference. Frozen peppers keep their shape well and do not sour when stuffing.

The filling is selected according to taste preferences or based on the specifics of nutrition, diet.

Stuffed peppers with pork and rice

To prepare the filling, minced pork is made with the addition of lardto make the dish juicy. Rice, boiled until half cooked, is added to the meat and lard scrolled in a meat grinder. The mixture is complemented with carrots and onions. Vegetables are pre-cut into small cubes or grated on a coarse grater.

For stuffing you will need:

• 200 g of rice;
• 0.5 kg of pork;
• 0.2 kg of lard;
• 200 g carrots;
• 100 g of onions;
• salt and spices to taste.

The prepared minced meat is placed in peppers peeled from seeds., lay the pods on a pallet so that they do not come into contact with each other and do not stick together, and send them to freeze.

To make the dish brighter, freeze peppers of different colors: red, yellow, green, orange.

Primary freezing lasts 30-40 minutes... After that, the pods are taken out and put in bags for storage. Full freeze time is three hours.

It is recommended to store the dish in the freezer for no more than a year.... With this harvesting method, you will provide yourself with pepper until the next harvest. By freezing already stuffed pods, you save your time when cooking further.

Reference. Bell pepper fills the entire freezer with aroma. Therefore, it is recommended to store it in tightly closed containers or in 2-3 tied plastic bags.

Do I need to defrost

Stuffed pods in the right amount are taken out immediately before the start of cooking... Without defrosting, they are placed in a pot of cold water and placed on the stove. To obtain a fragrant and tasty broth, finely chopped tomatoes, onions and carrots, salt and spices to taste are added to the container.

Some housewives recommend a hole at the top of the pepper, in which the minced meat is placed, cover with a thin slice of potatoes before stewing... This will prevent the pepper filling from falling out when stewing. Cover the saucepan with a lid and stew the peppers over low heat for 30-40 minutes.

The prepared halves of the peppers, without defrosting, are spread on a baking sheetgreased with vegetable oil and filled with filling. Top each portion is covered with grated hard cheese. The pallet is placed in an oven preheated to 150 degrees and baked for an hour.

Attention! Only the amount of peppers that will be cooked is removed from the freezer. When frozen again, the fruits lose their taste, appearance and useful substances.

In order not to subject the workpieces to constant defrosting, it is recommended to freeze pods in small portions in separate containers and bags.

Conclusion

Sweet peppers grown on their own plot not only decorate the table in summer, but also allow you to diversify the menu all year round. Timely harvest and proper storage will help ensure this.

Stuffed pepper is an appetizing and always welcome dish on every table. There are many options for stuffing. We talked only about some of them, drew your attention to the little tricks and subtleties that will help you preserve the fruits of summer labor for a long time.