Filipino-Style Stuffed Bell Peppers with Ground Pork and Chile

About This Recipe

Stuffed vegetables aren't a classic centuries-old Filipino dish, but ground-meat-and-rice fillings are a beloved home-cooking technique borrowed from Filipino picadillo-style dishes and adapted here into stuffed bell peppers, a format many home cooks reach for when they want a complete meal in one vessel. The filling leans on the same base used in giniling (ground pork sauteed with garlic, onion and tomato) with a kick of chile added for warmth. Rice cooked into the filling absorbs the meat's juices, so every bite carries flavor rather than tasting like plain rice packed around meat. Baking the stuffed peppers covered for most of the cooking time keeps them tender rather than shriveled, with the foil removed at the end so the tops can brown slightly. This is a practical home-cook adaptation, useful for stretching ground pork into a full dinner, rather than a claim to any single regional classic.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4large bell peppers(tops cut, seeded)
• 450 gground pork
• 1 cupcooked white rice
• 1onion(diced)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2tomatoes(diced)
• 2red finger chiles(minced)
• 2 tbspsoy sauce
• 1 tbspfish sauce
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 0.5 cupshredded cheese(optional, for topping)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep the peppers

   Preheat oven to 190C (375F). Blanch peppers in boiling water 3 minutes to soften slightly, then drain.

2. 2

   Cook the filling

   Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until fragrant, then add ground pork, breaking it up, and cook until browned, about 7 minutes.

3. 3

   Build the flavor

   Add tomatoes, chiles, soy sauce and fish sauce. Simmer 5 minutes until the mixture thickens and tomatoes break down.

4. 4

   Combine and stuff

   Stir in cooked rice until evenly mixed. Spoon the filling into the peppers, packing gently.

5. 5

   Bake

   Place peppers in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake 25 minutes. Remove foil, top with cheese if using, and bake 10 more minutes until peppers are tender and tops are golden.

Variations

• •

  Swap ground pork for ground chicken or beef for a different flavor profile.

• •

  Add raisins and a pinch of sugar to the filling for a picadillo-style sweet-savory balance.

• •

  Make it spicier by adding a spoonful of chili garlic sauce to the filling mixture.

Storage

Refrigerate cooled peppers in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 175C (350F) oven for 15 minutes, or microwave until heated through.

Frequently Asked Questions