Stuffed Bell Peppers
https://easyhomemaderecipes.caThese Baked Italian Stuffed Peppers are savory, rich and will have you reaching for seconds, and thirds. This especially makes an all in one hearty meal if you don't know what to make for dinner. Pair this dish with my Black Olive and Rosemary Focaccia Bread Recipe for an amazing combo!Like stuffed vegetables? Try my Italian stuffed eggplant recipe, stuffed artichokes recipe or stuffed Sicilian vota vota recipe for the win!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1 ½ cups water
- 4 bell peppers
- 24 oz ground beef
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 8 basil leaves or 1 tbsp of dried basil
- ½ cups parmesan cheese
- 1 vegetable bouillon gel or bouillon powder
- 1 cup marinara sauce optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium saucepan boil the water and add the rice. Cook until al dente. (cook until still slightly uncooked) . Drain and let cool or refrigerate for later use.
- Slice tomatoes and lay them flat in a Pyrex dish covering the entire base of the dish. Salt to taste and drizzle olive oil over tomatoes.
- Cut peppers lengthwise and remove seeds. You can leave the stems if you want, or discard them.
- Salt the inside of the peppers.
- In a medium bowl, mix ground beef, rice, egg, salt, pepper, tomato paste, onion powder, garlic powder and parmesan cheese. Mix well.
- Stuff peppers ensuring that you evenly distribute the ground mixture as much as possible. If you have any leftover, just make little balls and place in dish beside the peppers. Transfer each pepper to the baking dish.
- Mix ½ cup of water with the knor vegetable bouillon gel and spoon a little over each pepper.
- Pour remaining bouillon mixture in bottom of dish. Ensure that there is at least ½ inch of liquid in bottom of dish. Add liquid if you need to.
- Place a basil leaf on each pepper. If you don't have fresh basil then sprinkle dried basil sparingly on top of each pepper. OPTIONAL: Place a couple of tablespoons of Marinara sauce over the peppers.
- Place dish in oven and bake for 45 minutes, covered with aluminum foil.
- Once peppers have been cooking for 45 minutes, uncover and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Return to oven to bake uncovered until cheese is golden.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes until serving.
Notes
Top Tips
Make the rice in advance to cut down on time. Leftover rice is also perfect for this recipe. Save it in an airtight container in fridge or freezer then thaw it out when needed. Once peppers have been cooking for 45 minutes, uncover and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Return to oven to bake uncovered until cheese is golden. Putting the cheese on the peppers at the end of the stuffed bell pepper cooking cycle will prevent the cheese from burning and getting hard.Nutrition
Serving: 1Calories: 423kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 25gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 1207mgPotassium: 667mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 2795IUVitamin C: 105mgCalcium: 140mgIron: 4mg
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