Stuffed Peppers

 

 

 

Pulled this one off!  Wow, we planned on making this for dinner last night and then once I saw the recipe and realized that it was projected to take about 2 hours to complete it, the plan then changed to prepping it and then back it tonight.  But by the time I got to that stage, I said - let's go ahead and bake them.  Glad I did.  This was very, very good. 

 

The thing with Stuffed Peppers and our family is that our favorite restaurant in town is Canale's and they have stuffed peppers on their menu that my husband loves.  He refers to them as " Brains".  I guess because of their size or how they look, but he loves to order them.  Well, with our garden in full mode, we had enough peppers to make them at home.  Found a recipe on Pinterest and tweaked it a bit and here they are.  He will still order them out, but now we have a classic stuffed pepper recipe during garden harvest time.

 

If you are looking for a quicker version - give then link below a try for another classic stuffed peppers made with sausage, but cooked in the microwave.

 

Quick and easy stuffed peppers

 

 

Classic Stuffed Peppers

 

4 to 6 green peppers, or use a combination of green and red bell peppers or other colors

1 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon ​​extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil

2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (at least 85%)

1  cup long-grain rice, cooked

Shredded Mozzarella, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup, optional

 

 

Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and rinse them under cold water; remove seeds and cut away the membranes, which might be bitter. Chop the edible part of tops and set aside.  Place peppers in a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until the oil is hot and the butter is foamy.

Sauté the chopped bell pepper (from the tops), chopped onion, and chopped celery for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add the (un-drained) canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, crushed garlic, oregano, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Gently stir to blend; add ground beef, cooked rice, and 1 cup of the tomato sauce mixture. Mix well.

Heat the oven to 350° F.

Stuff the peppers loosely with the meat mixture and place in a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan. Pour the remaining tomato mixture over the stuffed peppers.

Bake the peppers for about 45 minutes, or until the meat mixture is thoroughly cooked. To check the internal temperature, use an instant-read thermometer. The temperature should be at least 160° F for ground beef, pork or lamb, or 165° F for ground turkey or chicken.