Greek Stuffed Peppers with Feta Cheese Recipe | Cookin' Canuck (2024)

FAQs

Why are my stuffed peppers soggy? ›

No Moisture In, No Moisture Out

Following the logic of precooking your peppers to safeguard against sogginess, you should also avoid watery ingredients in your stuffing. Let's say your filling calls for tomato sauce. Rather than spooning it directly into your hollowed peppers, reduce it on the stove until it's thick.

The peppers need to be par-cooked before filling so that they cook through. Many recipes call for boiling the peppers first, but I prefer to roast them – more flavor and less cleanup!

Place stuffed peppers in the oven in a baking dish cut-side-up, and warm at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes. You can also gently reheat leftovers in the microwave. TO FREEZE: Place cooked leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Pickles, including pickled peppers, can be made crisper by adding calcium chloride granules. Calcium chloride does not lower the acidity in the jar and is safer to use than lime. It is used in commercially canned pickles.

Cook your stuffed peppers according to your recipe. No half-cooking, please. Make sure the meats are cooked through completely, or they will require additional cooking once they are thawed. Cool the cooked stuffed peppers before freezing.

You can freeze feta cheese but once thawed it will become drier and crumblier, so it's best to use it in cooking. To freeze, leave it whole or cut into desired shape and sizes. Place into a freezer bag and expel air. You can leave it in the freezer for up to two months.

TO STORE: Refrigerate stuffed peppers in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days. TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees F. TO FREEZE: Freeze peppers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Bell pepper

Stuffed peppers / Main ingredient

One large bell pepper (about 12 ounces) will yield about 2 cups of diced pepper. (With each chunk of diced bell pepper measuring about ½ inch per side.)

How do you keep peppers from getting soggy? ›

Too much moisture will cause peppers, whether sliced, cut, or whole, to develop mold and soft spots. Both the crisper drawer in the fridge and an airtight container with a paper towel will keep moisture from building up on the peppers.

Cut in thin strips and quickly sautee

If what is desired is a slightly denser texture, oil blanching (a polite term for quickly deep frying the vegetables) might help - the pepper pieces will shrink slightly, reducing water content and potentially intensifying taste.

Peppers are a tricky bunch, with their ability to bounce back depending on the type of pepper and the thickness of the skin. If they've lost their crispness and you want them for salads, you can slice them up and try a 10 minute ice bath in a bowl. You can also pickle the peppers, even in their limp state.

While the first instinct might be that there's a pathogen out there infecting the peppers, it is important to understand that diseases are rarely the sole cause of fruit rot, and in reality it is more likely the pepper has been damaged by weather conditions interacting unfavorably with the pepper's physiology.