All the ways to make stuffed peppers, always a delicious recipe!

Stuffed peppers are always a good, tasty and never boring recipe. Here are our best variations and tips for an always impeccable result!

A single dish, a second course or an appetizer with an interesting and always different taste , multifaceted and at the same time simple. How is this possible? Because the recipe for stuffed peppers is simple like the good things of the past, the genuine ones that our mother used to prepare for us, but it is also the union of always new and interesting combinations.

It is very difficult, if not impossible, to identify a unique recipe for this dish: for this reason today we offer you all the best recipes for stuffed peppers, from the traditional ones (with rice, meat or cheese) to the slightly more particular ones. The basic procedure is always the same but the filling and the ingredients can make a big difference , to the point of making two similar recipes on paper completely different. We will prove it to you!

How to clean peppers (and store them)

We advise you, if possible, to choose peppers that are not too large and too pointed , so that they can stand "upright" on their own. If this is not possible, don't despair: just cut them lengthwise like little boats. Keep in mind that stuffed peppers can also be prepared with horn-shaped ones, simply by placing them on a baking tray.

Before trying your hand at the preparation, let's see how to clean peppers in a matter of seconds.

1. After having washed them carefully, cut them at about 3/4 of the height , so that a sort of very spectacular hat remains on the top.
2. Empty them of the filaments and internal seeds by digging them with a spoon or with your hands.
3. At this point, the advice is to blanch them for about ten minutes in water: it will be easier to manage and fill them but this step is completely optional.

All the stuffed pepper recipes that we will show you today can be stored in the refrigerator (inside an airtight container) for about two days.

Stuffed peppers: the best recipes

What is the difference between the different types of peppers ? Perhaps not everyone knows that the red ones are characterized by a thick and crunchy pulp, the green ones have a more herbaceous flavour, while the yellow ones are notoriously the most tender and juicy. The most loved quality is certainly that of Sicilian peppers – those that are at their best in September . Firm and well polished, they are square or long and yellow, red or green in color (the latter are those harvested not yet ripe).

For today's recipes, we recommend the red ones (but no peppers are not recommended!). If you're ready, then let's start with a roundup of 10 recipes for making stuffed peppers: with meat, veg, with rice… there's something for all tastes !

• filled with rice
• filled with meat
• vegetarians
• stuffed with tuna
• Sicilian style
• of bread
• padded
• Calabrian style

1. Peppers stuffed with rice

Festive Sunday, everyone around the table, cheerful, friendly and playful atmosphere: what should we cook to get everyone to agree? Our suggestion is baked peppers stuffed with rice : a single dish, very simple to make , even for a summer dinner, when perhaps you have little (or no) desire to cook. You can prepare them in advance and enjoy them the next day, they will be delicious even cold: this creamy dish on the inside and soft on the outside , but with a crunchy crust, will also appeal to children.

The base is rice, cheese and peppers, but you can adapt the recipe for stuffed baked peppers as you prefer: adding cooked ham, bacon or even vegetables to the filling ingredients. They can be light or richer and more elaborate according to your needs. If you wish, you can replace the white rice with brown rice or another type of cereal such as barley or spelled, for an even more digestible single dish.

Rich in potassium and low in sodium, rice is friendly to the cardiovascular system. Plus it is naturally gluten-free, so this dish is also suitable for celiacs . Here's an interesting way to give new flavor to a risotto left over from the day before that we don't know how to recycle!

The ingredients you will need (for 4 people) are:

• 2 large or 4 small peppers
• 200 g of Carnaroli rice
• parmesan to taste
• 1/2 glass of white wine
• 150 g of scamorza
• 500 ml of vegetable broth
• 15 cherry tomatoes or 200 g of cooked ham cubes
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

2. Baked peppers stuffed with meat

The recipe for peppers stuffed with meat is perhaps the most classic, par excellence, the one that best enhances a tasty and tasty vegetable like the pepper. Also in this case, you can enrich the dish with whatever you prefer: cheese , nice and creamy, or perhaps chopped dried fruit, which will give the dish an extra crunchy note.

If you can find some peppers that stand up on their own – the effect is very spectacular and you can bring them to the table with their caps on . However, if this is not possible, don't be discouraged: cut them lengthwise and fill the two halves. Maybe it will be less beautiful, but no less tasty (and much simpler). For 4 people, the ingredients are:

• 4 peppers
• 500g minced beef
• 100 g of stale bread
• 200 ml of milk
• 2 eggs
• 100 g of grated parmesan
• 150 g of provola
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 clove of garlic
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

3. Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

If you've come this far, maybe you're wondering: isn't there a variant of stuffed peppers without meat? Of course yes: vegetarian stuffed peppers , a recipe with cheese and potatoes, to be served hot or cold. Hot if you have time and want something to warm up your evening, cold if you want proof that appetizers with peppers have nothing to envy of the most famous finger foods . We used:

• 2 peppers
• 2 medium potatoes
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
• 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
• 150 g of provola
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

4. Baked peppers stuffed with tuna

It is no longer necessary to reiterate it: stuffed peppers are perhaps the most popular preparation during the summer when peppers, tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines are very tasty and very present on our tables. The peppers stuffed with tuna and cherry tomatoes are no exception and can also be enjoyed as a perfect main dish (hot, cold or warm).

You can also choose the variety of pepper you prefer: peppers stuffed with tuna, for example, are smaller and tastier, to be eaten in one bite ! Tuna, sometimes much demonised, is rich in Omega 3 and beneficial properties (for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and protection of eyesight and brain); provides essential vitamins and minerals.

The ingredients for this stuffed baked peppers recipe (for 4 people) are:

• 2 peppers
• 250 g of tuna in oil
• 200 g of cherry tomatoes
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 50 g of breadcrumbs
• salt to taste

5. Sicilian stuffed peppers

In southern Italy, stuffed peppers reign supreme and each region has its own recipe. However, never boast of knowing the original because as always when it comes to tradition everyone has their own secrets . Sicilian stuffed peppers are certainly no exception.

Basically, in addition to the peppers, you will need breadcrumbs and tomatoes to which typical local ingredients are added to make everything tastier: olives, capers and anchovies but also caciocavallo and, in some cases, raisins and pine nuts to create a play of truly particular sweet and sour flavors . To prepare them you will need:

• 4 peppers
• 200 g of breadcrumbs
• 50 g of grated pecorino cheese
• 50 g of grated parmesan
• 100 g of caciocavallo
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 bunch of parsley
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

6. Peppers stuffed with bread

A poor but rich dish, peppers stuffed with bread are another very popular recipe in various areas of the South. Also in this variant the flavors of the Mediterranean reign supreme with capers and anchovies. In fact, there are very few ingredients, other than bread, needed to make a sumptuous filling.

Yet little is needed, and the poorest cuisine is proof of this, to bring a tasty and economical dish to the table. So why worry about what to cook when there are so many and so good recipes from our tradition? Here are the ingredients for 4 people:

• 6 ox horn peppers
• 300 g of homemade bread
• 2 tablespoons of capers
• 6 anchovy fillets in oil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• 1 bunch of parsley
• salt to taste

7. Stuffed peppers

Also known as puparuoli 'mbuttunati, stuffed peppers are a typical dish of Neapolitan cuisine . Unlike other recipes, this one involves adding fried aubergines to the filling. It will then be enough to take a look at the ingredients to realize how these preparations, although similar to each other, are all different.

This is a clear example of how, by fishing among local ingredients , it is possible to prepare incredibly tasty stuffed vegetables . Meatless stuffed peppers are delicious, full of flavor and great both hot and cold. For 4 people you will need:

• 2 peppers (4 if Ox Horn)
• 1 aubergine
• 100 g of stale breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon desalted capers
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 60 g of Gaeta black olives
• 100 g of cherry tomatoes (or San Marzano)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 sprig of parsley
• parmesan to taste
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• pepper to taste

8. Calabrian-style stuffed peppers

Let's stay in the south, to be precise in Calabria, with the recipe for pipi chini. If you want to respect tradition, choose Riggitani or topepo peppers, the two varieties most suitable for accommodating the filling and being cooked in a pan. In fact,Calabrian-style stuffed peppers are first fried in a pan on the filling side and then baked but there are also those who fry them to obtain an even tastier dish.

These meat-filled peppers are enriched with bread, pecorino and provola, all poor local ingredients. Expertly combined they give life to a truly irresistible single dish (or second course) and perfect for the summer. For 4 people you will need:

• 8 Riggitani peppers
• 500 g of minced meat
• 200 g of stale bread
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 50 g of grated pecorino
• 100 g of provola (optional)
• 1 clove of garlic
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Peppers: properties and digestibility

This vegetable has many properties (antioxidants, diuretics, laxative and purifying) and is rich in vitamin C , beta-carotene, mineral salts, water and fibre. With their low calorie content, they are also perfect for those on a diet, however it is best to avoid them only if they cause gastric problems .

Usually, those who really can't digest peppers are advised not to eat the peel . With this type of recipe, however, it is a little inconvenient, if not impossible. You can, however, try to taste them, being careful to discard the peel and take only the filling and the pulp of the vegetable. It won't be exactly simple, but there's no harm in trying (especially in those situations where it would be rude not to eat a dish prepared with such care by the host).