Stuffed Peppers With Ground Beef & Rice

Submitted by Larawithoutau

"Inspired from Southern Food, these are quick prep and smell phenomenal while baking. It's a great way to use up the bounty of peppers from the summer garden. I increased the herbs, onion and garlic from the original recipe since it seemed to be lacking some flavor. This is a family favorite, which freezes well. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as we do!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 20
• Yields: 1 13x9 pan
• Serves: 9

ingredients

• 9 large green bell peppers
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1⁄2 cup chopped celery
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes or 28 ounces peeled fresh tomatoes
• 1 (4 ounce) can tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes, to taste
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 1⁄2 lbs lean ground beef or 1 1/2 lbs chuck
• 3⁄4 cup long-grain minute rice
• 3⁄4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

directions

1. Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Chop edible part of tops and set aside. Rinse peppers under cold water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add peppers, cover ; reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain peppers and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Sauté chopped green pepper (from tops), chopped onion, and chopped celery for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed garlic, thyme, oregano, basil, crushed pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes, the longer the better.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Gently stir to blend; add ground beef, rice, and 1 cup of the tomato mixture. Mix well. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in a 3-quart baking dish. Pour remaining tomato mixture over the stuffed peppers. Bake at 350° for 55 to 65 minutes. If desired, top stuffed peppers with a little shredded Cheddar cheese just before peppers are done; bake until cheese is melted.
4. Recipe for stuffed peppers serves 9.

Reviews

[LifeIsGood]

These were very good. I liked the extra veggies in the mixture. The only change I would make is to add more salt. We ended up salting it a bit at the table. Other than that, these were really yummy! Made for the 2014 Spring Pick A Chef event.