These unique slow-cooker stuffed peppers are filled with ground beef and veggies with the surprise ingredients of hard-boiled eggs and raisins. Make this recipe mild or spicy to suit your preference.
Unlike the average stuffed pepper, these amazing slow cooker stuffed peppers are inspired by the traditional Peruvian dish, rocoto relleno.
While they aren’t the quickest meal, it’s worth it to take the time to prepare the filling and sauce according to the recipe. The blend of flavors is unique to this dish, and you will want to make it part of your normal meal plan.
After cooking the filling, the peppers will finish over several hours in the slow cooker. The potatoes that serves as the side dish cooks right with the peppers. You could put them in the oven as well if you want them sooner.
What makes these slow-cooker stuffed peppers Peruvian inspired?
These are similar to the popular Peruvian stuffed pepper dish rocoto relleno.
Rocoto is a pepper that looks very similar to red bell pepper, but is much spicier. However, the peppers are usually soaked in vinegar and water to eliminate much of the heat so a bell pepper is a great substitute for this dish. Rocotos tend to be difficult to find in North America.
One of the unique signature ingredients in rocoto relleno is hard-boiled egg in the stuffing. I made sure to include that secret ingredient in my recipe!
How to choose a chili paste
Chili paste is made by grinding chili peppers into a thick pulp. This means there are many types of chili pastes as there are peppers, and more when you start combining flavors.
Here’s a quick run-down of what you can expect from different kinds of chili paste:
- Aji panca is what I use in this recipe. It’s from the very popular pepper in Peru. It only ranks at 500SHU on the Scoville Scale so it’s not very spicy. It has a sweet smokey flavor with hints of berry.
- Sriracha is a Thai chili paste, but will taste great in these stuffed peppers. It’s spicier at 1,000-1,500 SHU. When you get past the heat, this chili paste has a very sweet flavor.
- Using sambal oelek will taste like you are cooking with fresh chilis. It’s an Indonesian chili paste that is simply crushed red peppers, vinegar and salt. It’s fermented which highlights the earthy tone of the pepper.
Can you freeze crock pot stuffed peppers?
This is a great dish to make ahead and freeze. Cook the filling for the peppers and assemble the stuffed peppers. Then you can freeze before cooking.
Stuffed peppers will keep their texture and flavor in the freezer so this is a perfect solution for meal prep or for dividing into individual servings. They will keep in the freezer for about three months.
Thaw the peppers in the refrigerator before cooking. Place the peppers and potatoes in the slow cooker and make the sauce to pour over the peppers. Then cook according to the directions in the crock pot.
Slow-Cooker Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs lean ground beef - out of the fridge 30 mins before cooking
- 6 bell peppers
- 1 large onion
- 2-4 cloves garlic
- 1-2 Tbsp ají panca or any other chili paste - (optional) *see notes
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped raisins
- 3 hard-boiled eggs
- 2 large yellow potatoes - optional
- 2 raw eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- olive oil
- sea salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Take ground beef out of the fridge 30 mins before starting with the next step.
- In the meantime, wash bell peppers, cut the lids off and deseed (keep the lids! > see video) and set aside. Hard-boil eggs. Peel and finely chop onion and garlic.
- Preheat a very large pan over medium heat and once hot add olive oil, then add chopped onion and garlic and stir-fry until lightly brown. Then add ají panca or any other chili paste and stir-fry until fragrant.
- Add ground beef to the pan and break up with a wooden spoon or spatula while stirring so it doesn't start cooking in its own juices and instead browns nicely and evenly. Once it starts to brown, season it generously with sea salt and pepper.
- Once ground beef is nice and brown, add peanuts and raisins to it, give it a quick stir and remove from the heat.
- Peel and coarsely chop hard-boiled eggs and add to the ground beef mixture, give it a quick stir, then try it to see if it needs more sea salt and pepper, and then start filling the bell peppers with the ground beef mixture. Place stuffed bell peppers in the slow-cooker and place the lids on top. Peel and cut the potatoes and place pieces of potato in between the bell peppers.
- For the sauce: Add 2 raw eggs, 2 cups milk, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp pepper to a blender and blend until well combined. Pour the sauce over the stuffed peppers.
- Place the slow-cooker lid on the slow-cooker and set it to 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
- Serve and enjoy!
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Mona says
Would it be possible to make this dishe in the oven or instant pot? I dont own a crockpot (slowcooker). Thx so much.
Lorena Grater says
Yes! You can make it in the oven without a problem. At 350F for approximately 30 mins. If you like your peppers nice and soft I recommend “preboiling them” before filling them with the meat filling. Just a quick 3 to 5-minute boil will be more than enough.
AnnMarie says
I am wondering if you have any recommendations to substitute the peanuts since I have an allergy to peanuts only.
Lorena says
You can use chopped up pecans instead.
Marcy youker says
I grew up in Peru, I never had this dish,but my mom used peanuts, raising and hard boiled eggs in many dishes, they where all great, I will like to try this dish,i don’t know if my friends will like ,but i will try, love your recipes.
Lorena says
I’m so happy you like my recipes and I’m surprised you never had rocoto relleno if growing up in Peru. It’s basically the same filling as for ajī relleno, maybe you had that :) I’m sure your friends will love it! Our German friends devoured this!