Kittencal's Stuffed Green Bell Peppers

Submitted by Kittencalrecipezazz

"This is my own recipe I have been making for over 30 years, you may use 2 pounds of all ground beef or 1 pound each ground beef and ground pork. Try to purchase extra large firm bell peppers with flatter bottoms so that they will stand straight in the baking dish, and for a softer bell pepper you may par-boil the peppers firstly turn upside down to drain for about 30 minutes or more then stuff as directed (see bottom of the recipe) ----- see my recipe#136292"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 6 large green bell peppers
• 3 -6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (or use 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional or to taste)
• 1 cup cooked white rice
• 3 teaspoons paprika (or to taste)
• seasoning salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• 3⁄4 cup prepared marinara sauce (use your own favorite marinara sauce, or see my Kittencal's Marinara Pasta Sauce (Vegetarian))
• 1 lb ground beef
• 3⁄4 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1⁄3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg, slight beaten
• 2 -3 cups prepared marinara sauce
• shredded mozzarella cheese

directions

1. Grease an 11 x 7-inch baking dish or a casserole dish.
2. Cut off about 1/2-inch off the tops of the peppers, scoop out the seeds from inside.
3. Discard the stems and chop the pepper tops.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add in onions, garlic, parsley, chopped pepper (from the tops) and dried chili flakes (if using) for about 7-8 minutes.
6. Add in ground beef and Italian sausage meat; cook for about 10 minutes (you do not need to cook the ground beef completely as it will cook more in the oven).
7. Season with seasoning salt (I use about 1 tablespoon) and black pepper then add in grated Parmesan cheese and paprika; cook for 2 minutes more; transfer mixture to a large bowl and cool for about 20 minutes (or more).
8. Mix in the egg, cooked rice and about 3/4 cup marinara sauce; using clean hands mix thoroughly until well combined.
9. Equally fill each pepper cavity with the beef/rice mixture.
10. Place the peppers in prepared baking dish.
11. Drizzle some marinara sauce over each top and then pour the rest of the sauce around each of the peppers, lifting each pepper up so that the sauce will get underneath.
12. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (second-lowest rack, do not bake on lowest oven rack or the bottom of the peppers will scorch).
13. Tent loosely with heavy foil.
14. Cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the peppers are very tender (might take longer than 1 hour depending on the size of your peppers).
15. Uncover and sprinkle the tops with grated mozzarella cheese return to oven uncovered and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
16. **NOTE** to speed the cooking process up you can boil the pepper shells for about 6-7 minutes in boiling water, drain upside down on a towel for about 20-30 minutes or more and then fill with mixture.

Reviews

[kellylynn]

These were great. I made with red, yellow, orange, and green peppers. They were all pretty, but honestly, the green ones taste the best, and I will just use them next time.

 

[SammiCat]

Made these yesterday and wish I could rate them a 10++. I used all ground beef and brown rice but other than that followed the recipe to a tee. Wow are these good! I actually searched for a recipe for stuffed bell peppers posted by Kittencal cause all her recipes are wonderful. I was right on the mark with this one. My husband said it was one of the best meals I have ever made. Sure glad I made extra for lunch!! Thanks again Kittencal for a terrific recipe.

 

[Sherri]

These were the most amazing stuffed peppers ever! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!

 

[Mookie19]

This were wonderful. Everyone loved them. I used some homegrown yellow peppers and they were so sweet. Prep for these was pretty heavy but well worth the effort. I used the vegetarian marinara suggested in the recipe. Definitely a keeper. Will make again.

 

[dalia0210]

I use this site all the time and never seem to remember to leave a review. However, I made a concerted effort to leave one for this recipe because it was just AMAZING! I love stuffed peppers. My husband...not so much. This he LOVED! He couldn't stop talking about it while he was eating. It was delicious and incredibly filling. <br/>I did make one change and that was to use turkey sausage since I tend to stay away from pork as a personal preference. I was a little worried about the switch but it still turned out great. I will definitely be making this one again.