Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Stuffed Green Peppers





Stuffed Green Peppers




6 Green bell peppers, tops cut away and seeds removed.
1 Cup finely chopped onion
½ cup or diced tops you cut off of green bell pepper
½ lb. ground beef
½ lb. ground Italian sausage
(I make the meat, onions, and peppers  in a double batch and either save half in fridge or freeze for another meal later in the week/month.)
1 tbs. minced garlic
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 to 1 ½  cups brown rice
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes
1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese divided in two

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large pot of boiling water, parboil the peppers until just tender. 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove with slotted spoon and dry on paper towels.
In a large skillet,  brown the meat, onions, and chopped bell pepper.  After a few minutes add garlic, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes.  Chop up any clumps until browned.  Drain.
Add the rice, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes.  Season to taste.  Stir in half the mozzarella and stuff the peppers with mixture. 
Pour enough water in a baking dish to cover the bottom and place peppers in the baking dish.  Bake 25 minutes.  Remove and add rest of the cheese to the tops and bake until melted.  Let stand 10 minutes