Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers

Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers are healthy and easy even weeknight dinner. No pre-cooking rice and it is one pot and a freezer meal. So much easier than on the stove.

I love my Instant Pot! Other easy one pot meals would be Instant Pot cabbage rolls and Instant Pot turkey chili. Browse all of my healthy Instant Pot recipes and kiss “What’s for dinner?” dilemma good-bye.

Pressure Cooker Stuffed Peppers

I made Instant Pot stuffed peppers twice in a week before I went on work trips. Who am I kidding?! I made a whole batch of healthy freezer meals for my husband. But we loved this healthy dinner recipe a lot, like a lot! Especially kids.

Instant Pot stuffed peppers are easy-peasy comfort food my mom used to make all the time. Only thing easier is stuffed pepper soup and lazy cabbage rolls. This is 100% childhood memories right here. I bet for you as well.

Tender meat, flavorful sauce, cooked peppers deconstructed on your plate with a bit of yogurt or sour cream and a healthy dose of freshly cracked pepper. Who can resist?!

Ingredients You Will Need

• Bell peppers: Pick large and more straight bright colour bell peppers. Red, orange and yellow are sweeter. But green pepper is less ripe and a bit more bitter, which I personally love. Make sure peppers have no soft spots and are firm to the touch. If packed in a bag, look closely inside because “bad boys” can hide behind all the packaging.
• Ground turkey: I make chicken stuffed peppers and ground beef works too. Poultry is more lean of course but we use beef once in a while as well.
• Quinoa: I used quinoa because it is a quick cooking grain. But if you want to use rice, I talk about how to substitute quinoa with rice a bit down below.
• Tomato sauce: I use plain low sodium canned tomato sauce. Nothing expensive or with many ingredients.
• Onion and simple seasonings: Raised in Ukraine on very simple food, I still cook the same way – same 30 ingredients. Because tasty food doesn’t have to be complicated. So, no Worcestershire sauce, friends.

How to Make Stuffed Peppers in Instant Pot

If you still don’t have an Instant Pot, check out which one you should buy . It is seriously a revolutionary appliance worth every penny.

And then I have Instant Pot guide that will help you get started. Are you convinced? Don’t miss out any longer!

This Instant Pot stuffed peppers recipe is made in 8 quart Instant Pot Duo. 6 quart should fit all of peppers as well, don’t be afraid to pack them tight. 3 quart might fit 4 peppers, so just cut recipe in half and keep same cooking time.

1. Cut pepper tops off, chop them along with onion and saute right in Instant Pot. Nothing goes to waste. Remember I am from Ukraine?! LOL
2. Make stuffing with ground turkey, uncooked quinoa, spices and sauteed veggies.
3. Stuff peppers, layer and top with half of the tomato sauce. Repeat.
4. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes (8 quart) or 20 minutes (6 quart).
5. Release pressure right away, top with juices and yogurt.

Can I Use Rice Instead of Quinoa?

You can use pre-cooked white or brown rice. I would cook 1/2 cup rice with 3/4 cup water for 20 minutes after boiling. That’s brown rice. Cook white rice for 15 minutes or so.

You can’t use uncooked rice because once mixed with meat it will be undercooked and peppers and turkey overcooked in 15-20 minutes under high pressure.No. Rice needs longer cooking time.

How to Store and Freeze Stuffed Peppers

You can freeze cooled cooked stuffed peppers or make a freezer meal with raw and assembled ingredients.

To make a freezer meal, place stuffed and uncooked bell peppers in a Ziploc bag, let as much air out as possible and freeze for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen in your Instant Pot for 20 minutes with Quick Release.

Or freeze cooked leftovers in an airtight container to prevent freezer burns for up to 3 months.

How to Reheat Stuffed Peppers

To reheat stuffed peppers, first thaw them on a counter for 3-4 hours or in the fridge overnight.

To warm up stuffed peppers, place them in a pot with the juices, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Steam will warm them through. I do not own a microwave, so that is how we reheat food.

Serving Suggestions

We serve stuffed peppers with plain yogurt and rye bread. Toasted whole wheat bread mimics freshly baked rye bread as well. I like to break stuffed peppers on my plate, mix with yogurt and dip bread into the sauce.

Stuffed peppers are a meal on its own. We usually do not make any sides to go with the recipe besides green smoothie, if we feel like.

More Healthy Instant Pot Dinners

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• Instant Pot chicken and rice kids can’t get enough of.
• Instant Pot chicken and potatoes with lots of leftovers.
• Instant Pot bolognese sauce with half less meat.
• Instant Pot spaghetti – 15 minutes and even pasta cooks in same pot.
• Instant Pot stir fry using frozen chicken and veggies.

Looking for more dinner ideas? Check out my most popular collection of 30 healthy Instant Pot recipes.

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