Stuffed Bell Peppers
Stuffed Bell Peppers are a beautiful way to serve simple comfort food. Easy and elegant, these vessels of meaty sauce with cheese and rice are a complete meal.
Equipment
- 9x9 baking dish
Ingredients
- 3 Bell Peppers, cut in half, top to bottom, remove stem, seeds, and membrane
- 1 cup cooked long grain white rice leftover rice works great
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 med onion, minced
- 6 oz ground beef
- 6 oz Italian sausage
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 14oz can diced tomatoes, drained, 1/4 cup tomato juice reserved
- 5 oz Pepper jack cheese about 1¼ cup
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1-2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt, add bell peppers and cook for about 3 minutes until slightly softened.
- Remove peppers from water with a spider or slotted spoon drain on paper towels
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and adjust rack to middle position
- Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over med-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and sausage. Cook until no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Remove from heat, stir in rice, tomatoes, 1 cup of cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Mix together ketchup and reserved tomato juice in a small bowl.
- Spray baking dish and place peppers, cut sides up in baking dish. Divide the filling evenly between the peppers. Spoon 2 tablespoons of ketchup mixture over filling and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of the remaining cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is browned and the filling is heated through, 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
I use leftover, cooked rice. If cooking rice fresh, start when you put the water on for par cooking the peppers.