Uncle Bill's Stuffed Sweet Peppers

William (Uncle Bill) Anatooskin's Note:

This excellent recipe took me many experimental tries before I came up with a delicious tasting filling. The preparation and cooking time may be somewhat lengthy but is worth the effort.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 6 large sweet red peppers, seeded and cored
• 1 1/4 cups long grain white rice or 1 1/4 cups brown rice
• 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 large celery rib, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
• 3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning mix
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (16 fluid ounce) can plum tomatoes, crush tomatoes and include liquid
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Carefully cut out the stem portion of the peppers.
2. Remove seeds and membranes carefully and discard.
3. Place peppers (stand upright) in a large saucepan.
4. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and bring to boil and parboil for 5 minutes.
5. Drain well; set aside covered.
6. In a medium saucepan, add rice and chicken broth and bring to boil.
7. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
8. In a large frying pan, add olive oil, ground beef and chopped onion and saute' until mixture is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
9. Add chopped celery, sliced mushrooms, grated carrots, garlic powder, Italian herb seasoning mix, salt, pepper, crushed tomatoes including liquid, cooked rice, dill weed; mix well and bring to boil.
10. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
12. Carefully stuff peppers with mixture.
13. Place stuffed peppers (standing up) in a deep, oven-proof casserole dish.
14. Spoon any remaining mixture over peppers.
15. In a small mixing bowl, mix together ketchup and water.
16. Pour this sauce equally over the stuffing in each pepper.
17. Cover casserole dish with a lid or tightly with aluminum foil.
18. Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 20 minutes.
19. Remove lid or foil, sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese on top of the stuffed peppers.
20. Continue to bake uncovered at 350 F for another 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
21. Serve hot.
22. You may use a combination of red, orange, yellow or green peppers for a colorful presentation and a variety of taste.

Reviews

[jenleighd]

This was delicious! I too was unsure of the ketchup mixture but it was awesome! I added 1 tbsp of worcestershire sauce to it and a pinch of truvia. To the meat and rice mixture I also added 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper and I'm REALLY glad I did, it was delish. I used lean ground turkey and brown basmati rice. I had to add more broth to the rice and cooked it for twice as long. One pepper each was more than enough for a full meal for my husband and I, so we have lots of yummy leftovers AND they come out really well nuked in the microwave. Nuked for two mins, cut in half and nuked for another min. DELICIOUS! I'm making these again for my mother-in-law later this week!

[catalinacrawler]

we really like red bell peppers but this was just too much pepper for my bf & i. i made the full recipe and we only had 1 pepper each so i ended up chopping one of the remaining peppers & mixing it & a can of pinto beans with the left over rice/meat mixture to make burritos for my bf's lunches next week. i'll use the left over peppers on a burger or something so in the end it worked out great!

[ChipotleChick]

These peppers were delicious! I used all red bell peppers and brown rice. I substituted half of the ground beef with soy crumbles, and only used one tablespoon of olive oil. I used lowfat colby jack cheese instead of mozzarella. I used a few tablespoons of fresh dill instead of dried. I left out the mushroom and celery (my kids don't like them). Instead of canned tomatoes, I diced up a few romas I had and simmered them in a can of tomato sauce while the rice was cooking. I doubled the ketchup mixture. Lol I think that's all. Anyway, they were awesome, and so healthy! Thanks for the recipe!