Stuffed Peppers

Manly Kitchen Stuffed PeppersBack in August, I posted a question on the Manly Kitchen fan page over on Facebook, asking what recipes everyone wanted to learn. Loyal reader Chad Schwartz asked me for a recipe for stuffed peppers. Well, I’m a bit late, but better late than never. I hope. So Chad, this one’s for you, my friend!

The great thing about stuffed peppers is that you have everything in one dish. Sure, you can serve a green vegetable or a salad. But really, all you need are the peppers and perhaps some good bread. This makes it a great choice for weeknights. It’s true there are a few steps to this one, but you can get everything done while the rice is cooking and the beef is browning.

Enough of that. Let’s get to Chad’s request, shall we?

Ingredients:

4 to 6 large bell peppers
1 to 1-1/2 cups cooked rice
Manly Kitchen Stuffed Peppers1 medium onion
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir everything up, then let it sit and get happy while you continue preparation.

Cut top off peppers. Remove seeds and membranes. Place peppers in large pot of boiling water. If necessary, use a spoon to push peppers down so that they are fully submerged. Boil for two minutes and remove.

Cook rice according to package directions. Normally this means using twice as much water as rice. Boil the water, add rice and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Finely dice your onion. Small pieces.

While rice is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add a little olive oil to the pan and heat until it shimmers.

Add onions to skillet and cook for two minutes. Add garlic and cook two minutes more. Remove and set aside.

Add ground beef to pan and cook until fully browned. Remove from skillet and drain.

Manly Kitchen Stuffed PeppersIn a very large bowl, combine ground beef, rice and one half of the tomato sauce mixture. Be a man and use your hands. It’s easier this way. Just make sure to wash your hands before and afterwards.

Place peppers in baking dish. If doing 4 peppers, an 8×8 or 9×9 dish works very well. If doing 6 peppers, use a 13×9 dish. If necessary, use crumpled aluminum foil to fill any empty space so the peppers remain upright while baking.

Spoon filling into peppers. Fill them all the way to the top. After all, they are “stuffed” peppers, which tells me they should be really, really full!

Tightly cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and take off the foil. Sprinkle peppers with shredded cheese and bake another 15 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted and bubbly.

Serve immediately.

Notes:

The traditional pepper to use is the green bell pepper. However, they can be very hard on the stomach for some people. For that reason, I usually use red or yellow peppers. Everyone I’ve served them to has loved them!

This recipe is fairly easy, because you’re using Italian seasoning instead of separates, and because you’re not making your own tomato sauce. However, you can certainly do a fancier version if you choose.

Here’s a little trick for baking the peppers: if you have a large muffin tin – the kind you use for oversized muffins, set each pepper into a muffin hole and they’ll stand up during cooking.

Have fun with this one and don’t forget to come back and tell me how it went. And, as always,

Play with your food!

Lane


Did you like this recipe? What recipes would you like to learn? Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts! (And don’t forget to LIKE this post!) Share it using the tiles below.

Follow me on Twitter | LIKE Manly Kitchen on Facebook

Lane

About Lane

Lane Baldwin is a an internationally-acclaimed singer, songwriter, author and food lover. He wasn't trained in France, and he doesn't have his own TV show. He just loves to cook, and loves sharing what he's learned over the years. In his "real life," Lane has toured the world, bringing his special brand of Blues-infused Americana to millions of fans. At home he leads a quiet life filled with good books, good food and good friends.