Stuffed Red Peppers

Last week when I asked Jon to grab some things at the store he came home with red peppers.  I think I said, "What are those for?" Then he said something like, "They're good.  You can make stuffed peppers with them."  I took that as a hint.  Ha ha!  I don't really make a lot of things with red peppers except Arroz con Pollo and maybe fajitas or pizza so I kind of had to make these.

Usually when I think of red peppers my heart doesn't jump and my stomach thinks "Errrg".  But I forgot how much I liked this recipe until I made it tonight.  They're pretty good.  Jon seemed to enjoy them. 

I only remember my mom making stuffed peppers once when I was living at home and I don't really remember what they tasted like.  I think Jon's mom made these more often and she did them differently.  I think I did what she usually does.  I went off of my memory from the last time I made these when I got the recipe from Jon's mom on the phone.  As it turns out I didn't write the recipe down, so hopefully if she reads this sometime she'll agree with me.

Stuffed Red Peppers

adapted form Jon's mom's recipe

Ingredients
1lb ground beef
3 (4 would be better) red peppers tops cut off and seeds pulled out
1/2 cup cooked rice
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 onion diced
1 large clove of garlic minced
2 tbsp basil (I used dry, but I"m sure fresh would be better)
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese (or other cheese) to taste

Method
1.  Blanche the red peppers in boiling water for a minute just to soften them slightly.

2.  Saute the onions until softened, then add the ground beef and garlic.  Cook until the beef is completely brown. 

3.  Add the rice, half the can of tomato sauce, 1 tbsp of basil, and the salt and pepper to the beef and mix well. 

4.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5.  Stuff the peppers with the beef and rice mixture and put them (open sides up) into a casserole dish.  Cover it with foil and bake for 30 minutes.



Right before I covered them and popped them into the oven.



6. Mix together the rest of the tomato sauce, basil, salt and pepper (I added a bit of garlic powder too). 

7.  At the end of the 30 minutes remove the foil, pour the tomato sauce over the peppers, and top with cheese.  Bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the tomato sauce is bubbly.



Tonight's dinner spread.

I ended up with too much filling for these, so if I make these again the same way I'll use 4 red peppers.  I was also thinking about trying some hot italian sausage mixed in with the ground beef next time.  I might also try adding some chopped spinach sometime.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Dear God,
  thank you for my husband.  We are so blessed to have him work so hard for us, love us so much, help at home so much, and always lead us closer to you.  Amen.