Stuffed Peppers
As a rule, I don’t actually make this one as much as I would like to because a member of my family is a huge dramatic baby and cooked bell pepper gives her the tragic sads. ANYWAY IT”S GOOD. Can be easily doubled, one to one.
You will need:
2 bell peppers cut in half lengthwise
1 cup cooked rice--great place to use leftovers. Quinoa or couscous is also good here
1/2 pound ground meat
3/4 cup broth-- split into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup
1/2 onion
6 cloves garlic
splash white wine if you’ve got it
salt
pepper
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup of shredded cheese (I’m going to keep saying this and you’re going to keep ignoring me and that’s fine--hand shredded is better) that melts well--mozz, provolone, etc. Cheddar isn’t great here.
red pepper flake
oregano
any other spice that speaks to you emotionally
olive oil
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Some recipes call to blanch the peppers, but I’m lazy! And I hate that. We won’t do that.
While you’re preheating your oven, sauté your onion and garlic in a skillet with some olive oil about 3-4 minutes.
Add your ground meat and some spices and cook until it’s just browned. Add your 1/2 cup broth and wine to the pan, scaping the bottom of the pan to get the delicious bits. Cook until it’s about half reduced.
Toss in your rice and stir for a few moments, tasting to make sure the spicing is how you like it. Add your can of tomatoes and stir until it’s all just heated through.
Once everything is good and mixed together, stuff it into your pepper halves, and stick you pepper halves on the bottom of a casserole dish--smaller is better. Put the remaining 1/4 cup broth on the bottom of the dish. Wrap tightly with foil and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the peppers are easily pierced.
Top with the shredded cheese and let cook for another 15 minutes or so. Let them cool for a few minutes, and serve!
