Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Friday Night Stuffed Bell Peppers

Usually, I decide what we will be having for dinner early in the morning.  This way, if anything needs to be defrosted, there will be more than enough time for it.  This past Friday, I looked in the freezer and saw some lean ground beef and thought, "What could I make with this tonight?".  The idea of stuffed peppers came to mind.  I immediately took out the ground beef to defrost.  I went to the grocery store and picked up some fresh green and red bell peppers.  I just love the bright color and taste of these!



I bought 3 red and 3 green bell peppers.  I cut the tops off and reserved them.  Next, I removed the seeds and washed the peppers under water.  Make sure when you buy bell peppers for stuffing, that they sit flat on the bottom, so they do not topple over when you fill them! 









Put your bell peppers and reserved tops in a large pot of boiling, salted water.  I added 3 at a time, in 2 batches.  Boil them for approximately 4 minutes.  This significantly reduces the time they have to cook in the oven.  Remove from the water and set them aside to cool. 














If you don't have a food processor, I really recommend buying one.  It is such a handy appliance.  You can use it to chop and crush veggies, make sauces, even make pie crust!  It really is an essential in my kitchen.  Here, as you can see, I chopped up one whole onion and 4 garlic cloves. 









Saute onion and garlic in 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.

Add 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef. Stir and crush beef with wooden spoon until fully cooked.  Add salt, pepper, and seasoning.  


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Add 1 cup of cooked long-grain rice.  I used basmati rice.


Next, I added 1 1/2 cups of my homemade tomato sauce and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.  Stir until sauce is heated through and cheese has melted.











Now, take your cooled peppers and fill them to the top with the delicious ground beef and rice mixture.












Place the bell peppers flat in a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Fill the bottom of the dish with 1 cup of hot water.  Bake uncovered, in a 350 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle tops with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.  Return to the oven for another 15 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.  You won't believe how gorgeous your house will smell at this point!



Remove from the oven and place bell peppers on a serving dish.  You can serve with tops on or off!


Isn't it wonderful how you can turn a simple vegetable into an edible treasure chest?  Each one hiding it's own little treasure inside!


I really hope you enjoyed this post.  The next time you have some ground beef lying around, and you're not sure what to do with it, maybe you can make some yummy stuffed peppers.  Thank you for stopping by my kitchen and I hope to see you again real soon!  I would love to hear your comments!  Happy Tuesday!

10 comments:

  1. Good afternoon sweetie!
    Lovely post and yummy stuffed peppers :)
    They do say that great minds think alike...I made stuffed peppers with minced lamb for dinner on Saturday! They were very similar to yours, but I just used red peppers, topped them with a mixture of gruyere and fresh breadcrumbs and I added dried oregano to the ragu. What did you serve yours with? I served them with roasted tomatoes, courgettes, onions, griddled asparagus and rocket.
    Ooh what are you having for dinner tonight sweetie? We are having homemade pizzas and I cannot wait!
    Wishing you a fabulous and tasty Tuesday
    Love Morwenna xioxo

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  2. Thank you for your comment Morwenna! I always love hearing from you :) Gruyere cheese is delicious too. I use oregano and basil in my tomato sauce. A simple salad and crusty bread is what I like to serve with mine. Your stuffed peppers and sides sound delicious!! Enjoy your pizzas! Tonight, I am making a simple Portuguese tuna salad with boiled potatoes, and quail eggs. Maybe I'll post about it soon. Love and hugs to you!! Enjoy the rest of your day! xoxo

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  3. Mmm sounds lovely sweetie! I love tuna salad, just minus the eggs for me as I am not a fan. Gosh we really do love our food don't we?! We can talk about, write about, think about it and eat it all day long! Enjoy your dinner too xoxo

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  4. Oh, just had some breakfast and now I am ready for a lunch of your delicious stuffed peppers!! Love all your great photographs and how cute you are in your cupcake apron!! Wishing you a fantastic day!!! Rainy, misty here. I'd better enjoy it before heat heads our way!! Lotsa hugs, Sherry xx

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  5. Hi Rosinda! Just started following you on here!!!I absolutley love this. These stuffed peppers, along with everything else you make, sound deeeelicious! I think I just decided what I'm making for Dinner tonight! :) xoxoxo

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  6. Another wonderful post. The colors of those peppers are so bright and eye catching. The stuffing looks yummy. The finished peppers look like something you would see in a magazine. You are doing a great job on your blog. Each entry is very fun to read and I love your picture you little cutie you! xoxo

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  7. oh these look yummy, Rosinda! Thanks so much for the pictures. They really make the post :) love pictures of how to make something :)
    beautiful work!
    love,
    Denise

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  8. My dad used to talk about loving stuffed peppers (and stuffed cabbage too). In our family we all ate enough to be stuffed and the tradition continues with me. Deep sob!

    Your peppers look absolutely beautiful. I had no idea you precook the peppers, just thought they could be as cooked or as crisp as time allowed. Very interesting to see the technique. Keep up the great work. Love dining vicariously at your sumptuous table!

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  9. Num Num NUm can't wait to make these
    thanks Rosie

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  10. I'm with Nancy---I grew up with stuffed peppers and stuffed cabbages---we called them 'pigs in a blanket.' When I grew up, I'd hear kids talking about pigs in a blanket and they meant hot dogs rolled up with crescent rolls--it's all in our upbringing and what we learn to eat. This looks wonderful and I love the contrasting red and green peppers. I've always only used green, but I will definitely try the color variations next time---and use ground turkey for my 'non beef eaters' in the family (my youngest daughter)
    Keep on cooking.....Loving it!

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