Week 9: Recipe #3--Stuffed Bell Peppers

I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen blog (see link below).  I've always wanted to try stuffed bell peppers, and they were actually pretty tasty; similar to mini-meatloaves.  I think Lily enjoyed eating out of a pepper (anything to make dinner fun, right?).  I served this with a fruit and bread.

You'll Need:

• 4 whole green or red bell peppers (I used green)
• 4 Tblsp. olive oil
• 1 whole medium sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup raw instant rice
• 1 can (15 oz.) canned diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
• 1 dash Tabasco, optional (I left this out)
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Meanwhile, cut tops off of the peppers and remove seeds and ribbing.
2. Add salt to boiling water, then add peppers and boil, using a spoon to keep peppers completely submerged, until they become a brilliant green color (or red if red peppers) and their flesh is slightly softened, about 3 minutes.  Drain; set aside to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic; cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat.
4. In a large bowl combine meat, rice, tomatoes, onion mixture, worcestershire, tabasco and oregano, then season generously with salt and pepper.  Mix well.
5. Arrange peppers cut side up in an 8 x 8 baking dish, then stuff peppers with filling.  Top each pepper with grated sharp cheddar cheese.  Add 1/2 cup of water to the baking dish.  Place in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes (or longer, depending on how big the peppers are that you are stuffing).

*****If cheese starts getting too brown, cover with foil.

Recipe and link:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/main-courses/stuffed-bell-peppers-4/