by Lisa Fillers

Created on: September 03, 2008

I have always loved stuffed green Bell peppers or red Bell peppers and think they make a meal entree which your family thinks you spent far greater time preparing than the dish actually requires. Stuffed peppers makes a wonderful entree choice on any cold winter day but I particularly love them when the peppers are ready to harvest fresh from the garden.

It seems everyone has a different variation of stuffed peppers since there are so many different ingredients from which you can choose to create the stuffing. The following recipe is my own version and I hope you will enjoy it as much as my family does.

Ingredients:

6 large Bell peppers, red or green
1 Cup dry, long grain, white rice
1 pound lean ground beef
1 15 ounce can red kidney beans
1 28 ounce can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 large onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon basil
1 Bay leaf
small pinch of rosemary
small pinch of thyme
1/8 Cup water
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Grated or finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Boil 1 cup dry rice in 2 cups water until tender. While it is boiling, slice the peppers in half lengthwise and seed them. Line a 9 X 13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and place the pepper halves in the pan. If the peppers are extra large you may need an additional pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, peel and dice the onion. Check the rice. If it is done, remove from heat and set aside. Brown the pound of ground beef, adding one half the diced onion and one teaspoon minced garlic to the skillet of beef. After browning, drain grease and set beef mixture aside.

In a clean skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the remaining diced onion and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic. Add salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, and the bay leaf. Stir well to mix the spices with the onion and garlic. Add about 1/8 cup of water to the skillet, place lid on skillet, and let simmer a few minutes, taking care not to burn the mixture. Add tomato sauce to the skillet and stir well. Simmer on low heat about ten minutes.

Drain the can of kidney beans and pour in a large mixing bowl. Add the beef mixture and cooked rice. Stir mix the ingredients together. Generously spoon this mixture into the pepper halves. Spoon the seasoned tomato sauce over the stuffed peppers and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Just prior to serving, garnish with grated or finely shredded Parmesan cheese.

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