Super-Stuffed Peppers

After reading the recipe, you will probably notice that the
peas and carrots are missing from this pepper.
Yup, I totally forgot to put them in.


The last time I went to the little vegetable stand across the street from the grocery store, they had the nicest looking green bell peppers I had seen in a while. I bought like ten of them. I made fajitas with some, froze some, and saved the best ones for stuffed peppers. So simple, so easy, and you can skip the meat if that's your thing. I personally can live without it, but Andrew is still very pro-meat, so I throw a little in there to keep everybody happy. (When I made the Cheesy Chunky Veggie Soup the other day, his only comment was, "This is good - you should definitely add some meat to it, though.")

Super-Stuffed Peppers
Makes 6 to 8, depending on size

What I use:

• 6 to 8 green bell peppers, or red or orange or yellow or whatever you like
• 2 c. cooked brown rice
• 1 12oz. bag frozen peas and carrots
• 1 lb. ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey)
• 1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce, or use 3 cups of homemade sauce

How I do it:

1. Get a large pot of water boiling.

2. While the water is coming to a boil, cut off the tops of the peppers and clean the ribs and seeds out of the insides. (You could chop the pepper tops and cook them with the meat if you want, or keep them whole and use them as little hats on the finished peppers.)

3. Brown the ground meat in a medium-large pot. Drain if necessary and return to the pot.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

5. While the oven is heating up, put the hollowed-out peppers in the boiling water, making sure to submerge them completely, and letting them soften up a little for about 5 to 10 minutes. You want them to still hold their shape. Remove and set aside.

6. Add the cooked brown rice, frozen peas and carrots (no need to thaw or they will turn to mush while you mix), and 3/4 of the tomato sauce to the meat. Stir to combine.

7. Pour the remaining tomato sauce in the bottom of a casserole so the peppers don't stick.

8. Fill each pepper with the rice, meat, and veggie mixture. Place in the casserole standing up and packed fairly tightly so they don't fall over. There's nothing sadder than a pepper that has fallen and can't get up.

9. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through.

My best friend puts a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each before baking. How do you like your stuffed peppers? What color pepper do you use? A combination of the colors would be really pretty on the table.