COOKING FROM THE WARTIME KITCHEN SHELF
PEPPERS STUFFED WITH CHEESE
Simple ingredients, practical comfort, and the quiet art of making something good from what is already on the shelf.
Some recipes begin with abundance. Others begin with a small handful of ordinary ingredients and the old kitchen wisdom of using them well.
This recipe comes from the practical side of home cooking — the kind that stretches ingredients, avoids waste, and turns simple pantry staples into something warm, nourishing, and worth remembering.
“A well-kept kitchen shelf has always known how to make comfort from simple things.”
From the Cookbook Shelf
Adapted from an early Kraft-MacLaren Cheese Company booklet published in Canada during the 1920s, when practical cheese dishes and economical household cooking were widely promoted through newspapers, cookery contests, and homemaking guides.
Like many recipes of the period, it relied on simple, economical ingredients to create a satisfying family meal.
A Glimpse Inside the Booklet
These pages come from the original Kraft-MacLaren Cheese Company booklet that inspired today’s recipe. Published in Canada during the 1920s, the booklet promoted cheese as a practical, nourishing, and economical ingredient for everyday family meals.
What Was on the Shelf
- green peppers
- Kraft Canadian Cheese
- bread crumbs
- grated onion
- butter
- salt and pepper
View Recipe: Peppers Stuffed with Cheese
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 6 green bell peppers
- ¼ lb. Canadian cheddar cheese, finely grated
- 1½ cups fresh bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon grated onion
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Additional grated cheese for topping
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) (moderate oven).
- Slice a thin cap from the stem end of each pepper. Remove the seeds and white inner membrane (pith).
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Parboil the peppers for 2 minutes, then drain well.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the grated cheese, bread crumbs, grated onion, melted butter, salt, and pepper.
- Fill each pepper with the cheese mixture and place upright in a greased baking dish.
- Sprinkle the tops with additional grated cheese.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the peppers are heated through and the cheese is lightly browned.
- Serve hot.
LIBK Note: I used a mixture of soft and toasted breadcrumbs and added a little extra cheese to the filling. The original recipe was adapted slightly to suit modern ingredients and personal taste.
Adapted from an early Kraft-MacLaren Cheese Company booklet published in Canada during the 1920s.
“`Watercolor Recipe Card
Inspired by the original Kraft-MacLaren Cheese Company booklet, this watercolor illustration reimagines Peppers Stuffed with Cheese for the modern kitchen while honoring the charm and practicality of the original recipe.
Part of Cooking from the Wartime Kitchen Shelf — preserving vintage recipes and the stories carried within them.
Kitchen Shelf Notes
Recipes like this remind us that home cooking does not have to be elaborate to matter. A little cheese, bread crumbs, vegetables, eggs, or leftovers can become a meal when handled with care.
This is the heart of the Wartime Kitchen Shelf: practical meals, humble ingredients, and the enduring comfort of making do beautifully.
Original recipe terminology has been gently updated where needed to assist modern cooks while preserving the spirit of the original publication.
Do you have a favorite practical pantry recipe — something simple, thrifty, and comforting that always seems to come together when needed most?
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