How many ways can you stuff a bell pepper, you ask?
I can think of quite a few, actually. If you read the power cooking post, I had some extra Spanish Rice Bake, and used that as filling. Some people like to stuff them with raw meatloaf, and bake meatloaf in the peppers. Here's yet ANOTHER take, and it's kid-friendly even if they refuse to eat the peppers, since they can just scoop out the filling.
As I mentioned in my other post, I like to cut the peppers in half length-wise, and the fill them "open-face", versus actually stuffing them (unless the peppers are quite small). I had some giant peppers recently, and this way, the kids were more open to trying them, and it was a more reasonable portion size. I also like to buy bell peppers on sale, and then freeze them in "shells" or diced, or cut into strips for when I need them, rather than be at the mercy of the grocery store, price-wise. These could be frozen, so make a batch for dinner, and one to share or enjoy another night!
Stuffed Peppers II
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 pound lean ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds Russet potatoes, boiled and mashed (about 2 cups)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup bread crumbs
4 large red and green bell peppers, membranes and seeds removed
Preheat the oven to 400º. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and two thirds of the garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring to break up the beef, for about 5 minutes, or until browned; season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the remaining one third of the garlic and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. In a medium bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with 1/2 cup Parmesan and the parsley.
Stand the bell peppers upright in a baking dish. Stuff each pepper with one quarter of the potato mixture, then one quarter of the meat mixture. Top the stuffed peppers with the garlicky bread crumbs and the bell pepper caps, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast the stuffed peppers until tender, about 30 minutes. To freeze, prepare in a foil pan as directed, then once they've cooled completely, cover in foil and freeze. Thaw in fridge, then roast as directed above.
I can think of quite a few, actually. If you read the power cooking post, I had some extra Spanish Rice Bake, and used that as filling. Some people like to stuff them with raw meatloaf, and bake meatloaf in the peppers. Here's yet ANOTHER take, and it's kid-friendly even if they refuse to eat the peppers, since they can just scoop out the filling.
As I mentioned in my other post, I like to cut the peppers in half length-wise, and the fill them "open-face", versus actually stuffing them (unless the peppers are quite small). I had some giant peppers recently, and this way, the kids were more open to trying them, and it was a more reasonable portion size. I also like to buy bell peppers on sale, and then freeze them in "shells" or diced, or cut into strips for when I need them, rather than be at the mercy of the grocery store, price-wise. These could be frozen, so make a batch for dinner, and one to share or enjoy another night!
Stuffed Peppers II
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 pound lean ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds Russet potatoes, boiled and mashed (about 2 cups)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup bread crumbs
4 large red and green bell peppers, membranes and seeds removed
Preheat the oven to 400º. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and two thirds of the garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring to break up the beef, for about 5 minutes, or until browned; season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the remaining one third of the garlic and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. In a medium bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with 1/2 cup Parmesan and the parsley.
Stand the bell peppers upright in a baking dish. Stuff each pepper with one quarter of the potato mixture, then one quarter of the meat mixture. Top the stuffed peppers with the garlicky bread crumbs and the bell pepper caps, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast the stuffed peppers until tender, about 30 minutes. To freeze, prepare in a foil pan as directed, then once they've cooled completely, cover in foil and freeze. Thaw in fridge, then roast as directed above.