This recipe for Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers are a quick take on a classic! The peppers are stuffed with ground meat and rice and topped with tomato sauce.
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During my time in Croatia, I had plenty of delicious meals. One of my very favorite meals that I had was the stuffed peppers that I ate on a restaurant patio on the coast, overlooking the ocean.
The peppers were served alongside mashed potatoes, and they were delicious!!
As you know, I’ve been obsessed with my Instant Pot lately, so I decided to make this recipe a recipe for Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers! A well-rounded and delicious dinner has never been so easy. Make sure to also check out this recipe for Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers!
What Ingredients are in this Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers Recipe?
Long Grain White Rice
Chicken broth
Ground pork
Ground beef
Egg
Onion
Garlic
Canned tomato juice
Dried mint
Oregano
Salt
Paprika
Bell peppers
How to Make this recipe for Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Recipe
Add the rice and chicken broth into the pot at the same time. Put the lid on and turn the pressure to MANUAL or HIGH. Cook for 6 minutes. When the cooking cycle is complete, perform a quick release. The rice should be mostly cooked, but not completely. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, ground beef, egg, onion, garlic, ¼ cup tomato juice, mint, oregano, salt, and paprika. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to combine everything.
Use a knife to cut the tops off of each bell pepper. Cut a circle around the top rim of each pepper. Discard the top/stem. Scoop out any remaining seeds.
Divide the meat mixture into 4 parts. Stuff each pepper with the filling.
Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of your Instant Pot. Insert the trivet. Place each stuffed pepper onto the trivet. Spoon about 1 tbsp extra tomato sauce onto the top of each pepper.
Add the lid onto the Instant pot and hit MANUAL or HIGH. Cook for 9 minutes. When the cooking cycle is complete, perform a quick release. The peppers should be easily pierced by a fork. If not ready, pour a bit more water into the bottom of the pot and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Enjoy! Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought 🙂
Do You Have to Cook the Meat Before Stuffing Peppers?
No! When you make the stuffed peppers, you will mix the raw meat with the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl. You then stuff this raw meat into the uncooked pepper shell, and the entire dish cooks together at once!
The meat in this dish is cooked by pressure and steam! The cup of water in the bottom of the Instant Pot will pressurize in the Instant Pot and cook the meat all the way through.
What Kind of Peppers Should I Use for these Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers?
In this recipe for Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers, I am using bell peppers. You can use any color of bell peppers, though I would refrain from green peppers.
This is mostly because I think that green peppers taste differently than red, yellow, or orange stuffed peppers. However, if you are partial to green peppers, of course use them! You can always modify this recipe however you’d like.
In Croatia, it is actually traditional to use green peppers for this dish as opposed to red, yellow, or orange bell peppers.
Is this Considered a Full Meal?
Absolutely! Each bell pepper contains a quarter pound of meat, a starch, and a serving of vegetables! Serving this dish as is counts as a wonderful all-encompassing meal.
However, when I ordered Stuffed Peppers in Croatia, they were served with a side of mashed potatoes! The mashed potatoes are absolutely delicious and add another layer of depth to this already diverse meal.
How Should I Reheat Stuffed Peppers?
In many cases, my recommendation is to reheat dishes by putting them in the oven. In the case of these Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers, however, I would recommend simply using the microwave to heat up the dish.
The oven won’t offer any benefits when heating up the dish (nothing needs to stay crispy or crunchy) and the oven just takes a large amount of time.
I would recommend simply putting the Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers on a plate, covering them, and reheating in the microwave.
How Long Are Stuffed Peppers Good for In the Fridge?
The stuffed peppers will last for about 5 days in the fridge. Because there is meat in them, I wouldn’t try to keep them for much longer than that.
Make sure to store your peppers in an airtight container and keep cool in the fridge until it is time to reheat them.
Did you like this recipe for Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers? Make sure to check out some of these other posts on my page and let me know what you think about them as well. I’ve picked them out just for you!
- Instant Pot Basil Pesto Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
- Split Pea Soup in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Palomino Sauce
- Ema Datschi (Peppers and Cheese) from Bhutan
- Tomatoes, Feta, and Peppers from Albania
Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Wooden Spoon
- Mixing Bowl(s)
- Trivet
Ingredients
- ½ cup long grain white rice
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ lb ground pork
- ½ lb ground beef
- 1 egg
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- ½ cup canned tomato sauce, separated in ¼ cup measurements
- 2 tsp dried mint
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 4 bell peppers
Instructions
- Add the rice and chicken broth into the pot at the same time. Put the lid on and turn the pressure to MANUAL or HIGH. Cook for 6 minutes. When the cooking cycle is complete, perform a quick release. The rice should be mostly cooked, but not completely. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, ground beef, rice, egg, onion, garlic, ¼ cup tomato sauce, mint, oregano, salt, and paprika. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to combine everything.
- Use a knife to cut the tops off of each bell pepper. Cut a circle around the top rim of each pepper. Discard the top/stem. Scoop out any remaining seeds.
- Divide the meat mixture into 4 parts. Stuff each pepper with the filling.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of your Instant Pot. Insert the trivet. Place each stuffed pepper onto the trivet. Spoon about 1 tbsp extra tomato sauce onto the top of each pepper.
- Add the lid onto the Instant pot and hit MANUAL or HIGH. Cook for 9 minutes. When the cooking cycle is complete, perform a quick release. The peppers should be easily pierced by a fork. If not ready, pour a bit more water into the bottom of the pot and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Enjoy! Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought 🙂
jon kirby says
Grandma never had an instapot.
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
There is no mention of grandma in this blog post?
Janet Stanley says
I have 4 beautiful green peppers and needed to know how long to cook them in The Pot, for the first time. Also, I’ve never thought of using another color pepper!
Thank you so much!
The Foreign Fork says
So glad you liked it Janet! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Bre says
I suppose making the rice was just for fun, set aside and never mention again.
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Bre, the rice is mentioned again right in step number 2.
“In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, ground beef, rice, egg, onion, garlic, ¼ cup tomato sauce, mint, oregano, salt, and paprika. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to combine everything.”
Let me know if you have any other questions.