Chilli, Rice and Cheese Stuffed Peppers - a perfect Halloween Supper
Chilli, Rice and Cheese Stuffed Peppers make the perfect Halloween Supper. Decorated to reflect the ever popular sculpted pumpkins, these are not only incredibly delicious, they will grace any party or supper with aplomb and set you up for a fun filled evening of 'trick or treat'.
Serves - see Recipe Notes
Ingredients
Chilli Con Carne and Rice ingredients –
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 500g minced beef, preferably 5% fat
- 1 onion/125g peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, stem and seeds removed, finely chopped
- 16g/4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 3 - 5 teaspoons Mexican Chilli Spice (See Recipe Notes)
- 500ml beef stock, I use a stock cube
- 500g passata (plus 125ml water to swill out the bottle/box)
- 35g tomato puree
- 1 x 400g tin of black beans or red kidney beans
- 100g – 150g frozen sweetcorn
- 1 teaspoon runny honey or brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 300g red Camargue rice
Additional ingredients-
- large peppers, I use yellow and orange peppers – as many as you need (max 10 - 14) See Recipe Notes
- 50g cheddar cheese per pepper, grated
Instructions
-
Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
-
First prepare the peppers – slice off the top of the peppers to create a ‘hat’.
-
Remove the core and seeds from the base of the pepper and the top, if necessary.
-
Cut a Halloween face out of the peppers – mine look like very happy peppers but make them as scary as you like! Save all the cut out pieces of pepper to use in the Chilli Con Carne. Set the peppers aside until you are ready to fill them.
-
Make the Chilli Con Carne and Rice – peel and roughly chop the onion, peel the garlic, remove the seeds and stem from the pepper. Blitz everything in a food processor, along with the cut outs from decorating the peppers, until finely chopped. Alternatively, finely chop by hand.
-
Heat 1½ tablespoons of the oil over a moderate heat and add the chopped vegetables.
-
Cook for 5 – 10 minutes until soft and lightly caramelised. Stir from time to time.
-
Add the remaining oil (if necessary) and the beef to the pan, and cook until lightly browned. Continue to stir from time to time.
-
Add the seasoning and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until aromatic.
-
Add all the remaining ingredients, mix well and cook, covered, over a low heat, until the rice is cooked. This will take between 50 – 60 minutes. When it is cooked the rice will be soft but still with some texture and the Chilli Con Carne will have thickened considerably.
-
Taste and adjust seasoning - you may wish to add more Mexican Chilli spice, salt, pepper and/or sugar.
-
Preheat oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas 6
-
Assemble the peppers - place the peppers in a baking dish – ensure they fit snugly so they stay upright whilst cooking. Check that the peppers will stand up on their own when you serve them. If not, cut a very thin slice from the bottom of the pepper to flatten the base. Lightly oil the baking dish and the outside of the peppers and place in the baking dish.
-
Half fill each pepper with the Chilli and Rice.
-
Add half the grated cheese to each pepper.
-
Top with more Chilli and Rice and then the remaining cheddar.
-
Place the pepper lids/tops back on the peppers and cover with baking foil.
-
Cook in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 25 mins. (If you have made these in advance and stored them in the fridge, cook for 35 minutes.)
-
Take out of the oven and remove the foil. Drizzle the tops of the pepper with oil and put back in the oven, uncovered, for a further 20 minutes, until the peppers are soft and lightly caramelised, the cheese has melted and everything is piping hot.
-
Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- cast iron casserole/Dutch oven
- chopping board and knife
- measuring spoons/cups and measuring jug and kitchen scales
- food processor
- baking dish
- kitchen foil
If you do not have any spice mix made up, you can use the following which will give you nearly 5 teaspoons:
- 1 teaspoon ancho grande chilli powder – replace with chilli powder or cayenne if necessary
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder – replace with smoked paprika if necessary
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
How many people will this Chilli Con Carne serve?
The Chilli Con Carne and Rice is sufficient to fill around 10 – 14 peppers, depending on their size. I made only 4 and used the remaining Chilli Con Carne and Rice in other recipes. It is delicious on its own served with some sour cream, cheese, avocado and chopped tomatoes, you can turn it into a Chilli Con Carne Soup and served it with garlic bread and is also fabulous in Burritos. Failing that, pop it in the freezer and us it in any of these recipes on another occasion. For more details of these dishes, please see One Pot Chilli Con Carne and Rice here.
One-Pot Chilli Con Carne and Rice
For ease, the Chilli Con Carne and Rice is all cooked together in one-pot; it take only 15 minutes to prepare, and although it takes around an hour to cook, this is mostly hands-off time and just requires the odd, quick stir. Cooking for this time ensures all the Chilli Con Carne flavours develop and infuse; I use red Camargue rice which needs a longer cooking time and keeps its shape and texture. I also love the slightly nutty and chewy texture of red rice which balances well with the roasted pepper cases and soft, melted cheese. Do not be tempted to use white rice, it will disintegrate into the sauce. If you can’t find red rice, use brown, long grain rice and remember it may cook around 10 minutes more quickly.