These Freezer Stuffed Peppers require just six ingredients, are pizza-flavored, and can be made up to 3 months ahead of time for the dinner win!
Do you know what I love? Pizza.
I also LOVED pizza when I was pregnant, like a lot. That’s when I decided to freeze my Pizza Stuffed Peppers recipe as part of my freezer prep for maternity leave.
I ended up freezing over 25 meals total and shared my top 12, including these freezer peppers, in this post. I wanted to create a separate post for these freezer peppers to give you a few options on how to make them and then take them from freezer to dinner.
How To Prep Freezer Stuffed Peppers
You have two options for the way you prep the bell peppers. You can prep them like I did (and as shared in the recipe directions) by cutting them in half and filling each half.
You can also cut the tops off and fill them whole! That works too! They may be slightly less “messy” if you cook them this way. Either way (even if you cook them from fresh) there is going to be some water loss from the peppers that create “juiciness.” I prefer the cut half-open method because it makes it easier to drain the juice. Just a personal preference!
Do you need to cook the meat before freezing? This is a common question people ask, and one I asked myself. The answer is no. You don’t, as long as the meat your using hasn’t been previously frozen.
If the raw meat you are using has been previously frozen, then you’ll need to thoroughly cook it (on the skillet) before using it in this recipe. If you need to cook your meat first, follow the recipe the same as if you were using raw meat.
Whether you cook your meat or not, the big thing is to make sure that your final product comes to 165F. This is technically the rule with all food involving poultry, BUT, because you are freezing this meal to eat up to 3 months later, you need to be extra diligent.
The freezer does not kill bacteria. It just drastically slows the growth rate. Cooking your food to 165F will ensure that you don’t get sick from any meal!
How to Cook Freezer Stuffed Peppers
During my maternity leave, I got in the habit of pulling a meal or two out of the freezer for the next day. So, I chose to defrost my peppers before cooking them. However, you don’t have too!
If you chose to make these from frozen, you’d need to extend the cooking time 30-45 minutes. As mentioned before, make sure they reach a core temperature of 165F.
And don’t forget to top with additional cheese if you have any laying around!
More Freezer Meals:
- 12 Healthy Freezer Meals for New Moms
- 55+ Healthy Freezer Meals
- 12 Summer Freezer Meals
- Freezer Kielbasa Soup
- Freezer Healthy Chili
- Freezer Carnitas
- DIY Starbucks Freezer Spinach Feta Wraps
- DIY Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches
- Homemade Frozen Chicken Fingers
- Freezer Tuna Cakes
Freezer Meal: Pizza Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1/2 chopped onion
- 1 lb ground sweet or hot Italian ground chicken or chicken sausage or 1lb ground chicken with 1T italian seasoning*
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 4 Yellow & Red bell peppers cut in half seeded, deveined and cleaned
Instructions
- Mix chopped onion, ground chicken/turkey, pizza sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan.
- Prep bell pepper halves and then divide chicken filling evenly among them. I froze mine in a ziplock bag, but you could also do a disposable aluminum pan so that you could pop them straight in the oven.
- Defrost one day ahead of time then bake on 375F bell pepper halves for about 45 minutes in a casserole dish or until the core temperature reaches 165F. I drained excess liquid from the dish halfway through and at the end.
- Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving, if desired, garnish with fresh parsley leaves.
Notes
**look for a pizza sauce that uses whole tomatoes as it's base, not tomato puree or tomato paste, it will be way more flavorful!
Nutrition
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