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Serve It Stuffed!

There are many lovely side dishes that work with the core ingredients of potatoes, rice and pasta. But for the chef that is looking to incorporate a bit more wow factor into their spread, perhaps take advantage of the gorgeous seasonal colors in the produce aisle, my suggestion is: Stuff It.

These three simple recipes will provide a colorful supporting cast for your main entrees.

1. Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients: 4 large, ripe tomatoes
7 oz spinach, shredded
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. mozzarella cheese
1/4 cream cream cheese
4-5 slices of bacon

Preheat oven to 365*. Cut the tops from tomatoes the same way that you cut the top of a pumpkin to make a jack o'lantern. Scoop out seeds from each tomato. Lightly salt the insides and turn tomatoes over on a paper towel to drain excess moisture.

In a skillet, cook bacon till crisp. Remove excess fat with table spoon. Add green onion and spinach to skillet on medium heat for two minutes. Crumble bacon with a fork and remove skillet from heat then add 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and sour cream. Mix ingredients together. Mozzarella should melt in heat of pan.Allow ingredients to cool and then add cream cheese to mixture. Combine and then spoon mixture into tomatoes. Place stuffed tomatoes into lightly greased glass baking dish, bake for 16 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle the tops of the tomatoes with mozzarella, and cook for an additional 4 minutes to melt cheese. Serves Four. Double the recipe as necessary for additional guests.

2. Stuffed Bell Peppers

Red, Yellow, Green, or a multi-colored platter. The color of the pepper will influence the flavor of your dish. Red Bell Peppers tend to be the sweetest, while Green Bell peppers have the most stringent pepper flavor.

Ingredients: 1 lbs ground beef
1 cup of instant rice
3/4 tsp of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon of salt (pepper optional)
8 oz. tomato paste
4-6 Bell Peppers, washed.
3/4 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350*. Cut tops off Bell peppers. Remove core and seeds, and rinse out lightly with water. Set aside.
Cook rice. Brown ground beef in large skillet. Drain fat. Combine rice with ground beef over medium heat. Add tomato paste. Remove skillet from heat and stir in spices and cheddar cheese till cheese is melted.

Stuff Bell Peppers with rice mixture to top. Arrange peppers in baking dish and put in 350 oven for thirty minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle cheddar cheese over tops of peppers than cook another five minutes or until cheese is melted.

3. Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients: Approx. two lbs. large mushrooms
6 oz. minced clams
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup of unsalted sweet cream butter
1/4 cup of chopped, fresh parsley
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tbs minced shallots

Remove mushroom stems. Mince finely and set aside. Drain clam juice into a bowl, set aside. Place mushroom caps in a broiling pan, dome side down. Melt butter. Brush caps lightly with melted butter using pastry brush. Simmer the rest of butter over heat, add minced shallots, minced stems, garlic and clam juice, simmer mixture over heat for approx 5 minutes or until stems are tender. Remove from heat. Combine clams and remaining ingredients. Delicately teaspoon mixture into the mushroom caps till gently rounded. Broil stuffed mushrooms for 8 minutes. Serve warm.

Learn more about this author, Alissa King.
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