As If We Aren’t Stuffed Enough

This past week has been so cold and dark, I’ve been craving hot comfort foods, even after all the fabulous holiday food we’ve had the past few weeks.  After a quick batch of Baked Potato Soup made with Ore-ida’s Steam & Mash potatoes, I added Stuffed Peppers to our menu this week.  Unfortunately I could not find my usual recipe and had to pick a new one.  I went to Allrecipes which is always trusty in finding highly rated recipes and found one that seemed pretty similar to my old recipe. 

At first I was irritated I had to boil the peppers.  I hate using more pots and dishes than I need, but it cut down on the bake time and the peppers came out nice and soft with just a little crunch – perfect.  I also used ground turkey since it was on sale and much healthier, then added a small palm-full of red pepper flakes for extra heat and spice!  Delish.  The peppers I brought were huge, so I knew this recipe would not fill 6 peppers as it called for, and 4 was the perfect amount!

 

Stuffed Green Peppers (Allrecipes)

• 4 large green bell peppers
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb ground turkey/beef
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced italian tomatoes, slightly drained
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 can condensed tomato soup
• water as needed

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers, and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain. Sprinkle salt inside each pepper, and set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté beef and onions for 5 minutes, or until beef is browned. Drain off excess fat, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C). Stuff each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, and place peppers open side up in a baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine tomato soup with just enough water to make the soup a gravy consistency. Pour over the peppers.

Bake covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.