Taste Life Blog

Looking for a family favorite that can be quickly bee prepared ahead of time? Check out one of my favorite meals growing up besides my mom’s shish kabobs. I was in “dietitian mom heaven” when Brett cooked this for me on my last visit. Double the recipe and you have an extra dinner in the freezer or lunch time treats. This is more than 5 ingredients but worth the few extra.

 Ingredients

• 6 peppers- yellow, red and green (I enjoy the sweeter flavor of the red)
• 5 cups boiling water
• 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
• ½ medium onion, chopped onion
• ½ teaspoon of your favorite seasoning blend or salt ( I adore basil and use lots more than ½ tsp)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cooked rice (can use white or brown)
• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Heat your oven to 350°F. Cut thin slice from stem of each pepper. Remove all seeds and membranes. Wash inside and outside. Cook peppers in the boiling water 5 minutes and drain. Cut peppers in half.

In medium fry pan, cook ground beef and onion until onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in seasonings, rice and 1 cup of the tomato sauce.

Stuff each pepper with the meat mixture. Place stuffed peppers in ungreased 9 x 13 baking pan. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover. Bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes. Add shredded cheese the last 5 minutes to melt.

Serve with mixed veggies, and mashed potatoes. Top the potatoes with the extra tomato sauce.

Cooking Hints:

• Buy already prepared brown rice from Trader Joe’s and keep in the freezer for your busy days. Or use your rice cooker and prepare brown rice ahead of time and freeze.
• Cook several pounds of ground beef and freeze in one pound packages. Date the packages.
• Add an extra 8 ounces of tomato sauce so you have more “gravy” for your mashed potatoes.
• Substitute lentils for the ground beef for a great vegetarian option.

Mom used to serve stuffed green peppers (I really don’t remember seeing any other color peppers growing up) with stewed tomatoes. Stewed tomatoes are really smashed up Saltine Crackers in chunks of tomatoes and simmered until it is all soft and gooey. When I moved out of my parent’s home, this was my go to comfort food for those nights I was feeling extra lonely. It was very hard to be alone after being in the fun chaos as the oldest of five kids. Unfortunately I served too many tomato dishes the first few months of my marriage and Gary never acquired the taste for this comfort dish so I have not made it for years. And, now that I am gluten free I would have to figure out the cracker part!

We would love to hear if your mom served stuffed peppers. Enjoy!

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Stuffed Red Peppers

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Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 6 peppers- yellow red and green (I enjoy the sweeter flavor of the red)
• 5 cups boiling water
• 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
• ½ medium onion chopped onion
• teaspoon ½of your favorite seasoning blend or salt I adore basil and use lots more than ½ tsp
• teaspoon ½black pepper
• teaspoon ½salt
• 1 cup cooked rice can use white or brown
• 1 can tomato sauce 15 ounces
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 6 peppers- yellow red and green (I enjoy the sweeter flavor of the red) 5 cups boiling water 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey ½ medium onion chopped onion teaspoon ½of your favorite seasoning blend or salt I adore basil and use lots more than ½ tsp teaspoon ½black pepper teaspoon ½salt 1 cup cooked rice can use white or brown 1 can tomato sauce 15 ounces 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 350°F.
2. Cut thin slice from stem of each pepper. Remove all seeds and membranes.
3. Wash inside and outside. Cook peppers in the boiling water 5 minutes and drain.
4. Cut peppers in half.
5. In medium fry pan, cook ground beef and onion until onion is tender. Drain off fat.
6. Stir in seasonings, rice and 1 cup of the tomato sauce.
7. Stuff each pepper with the meat mixture.
8. Place stuffed peppers in ungreased 9 x 13 baking pan.
9. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover. Bake 45 minutes.
10. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes.
11. Add shredded cheese the last 5 minutes to melt.
12. Serve with mixed veggies, and mashed potatoes.
13. Top the potatoes with the extra tomato sauce.

Recipe Notes

Buy already prepared brown rice from Trader Joe’s and keep in the freezer for your busy days. Or use your rice cooker and prepare brown rice ahead of time and freeze.
Cook several pounds of ground beef and freeze in one pound packages. Date the packages.
Add an extra 8 ounces of tomato sauce so you have more “gravy” for your mashed potatoes.
Substitute lentils for the ground beef for a great vegetarian option.