Garden Fresh Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are fun to make all the time. Get creative with it... experiment with different meats, vegetables and cheeses. And as always, have fun with it.

 

Ingredients:

- 4 large peppers, sliced down the middle, seeds and stems removed

-  1 cup ricotta cheese

- 1/2 eggplant, peeled and cubed

- 1 bell pepper, diced

- 8 garlic cloves, minced

- 1 large onion, diced

- 1 tbsp. tomato paste

- 4 cups diced tomatoes, with juice

- 3 carrots, peeled and diced

- 2 celery stalks, diced

- 1/2 cup olive oil (added in gradually)

- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

- 1 ball fresh buffalo mozzarella sliced

- 1 lb. ground beef, turkey, chicken, or boca crumbles

- salt

- pepper

- crushed red pepper flakes

- oregano

- fresh parsley

- fresh basil

- 1 cup brown rice (cook according to package directions)

 

To Make:

 

In a large pot, drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil and saute the crushed red pepper flakes for 1 minutes. Then add meat, (whichever meat you desire), eggplant, celery and carrots for 5-6 minutes on medium low heat until they start getting tender. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Note: pre-season the meat with salt and pepper

 

Next, add in onion, bell pepper and garlic and another 2 tbsp of olive oil. Mix together. Cook on medium low heat until all veggies are tender.

 

Add in diced tomatoes with juice and mix together. Then mix in the tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Add in 1 tsp. of dried oregano.

 

Mince a handful of fresh parsley and mix in.

 

Cook together for at least 25 minutes on low heat.

 

Turn off the heat in the pot and add in the Parmesan cheese and ricotta cheese. Add salt and pepper to the ricotta cheese. Mix thoroughly together. Add in the brown rice. Taste and season more if necessary.

 

Begin filling the pepper with the mixture. Arrange in a large baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Place 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover, add a slice of mozzarella cheese on each piece and broil for 5 minutes.

 

Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve with freshly diced basil on top. Enjoy!

 

Stuffed Peppers - Sexy Chef Style

Stuffed peppers may look and sound difficult, but they are really not. You need at least 45 minutes to prepare them, but it's worth it since they taste great and are really not hard to make. You can use any type of bell pepper you wish, but for this dish, I used green peppers. Try them out, you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:
- 4 bell peppers (any variety)
- 1/2 pound ground turkey
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/2 can tomato paste
- 1 onion, diced
- 1/2 cup minute rice
- 15 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
- dried oregano
- crushed red pepper flakes
- garlic powder
- paprika
- salt
- pepper


To Make:
Preheat the oven to 360 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil in a small saute pan and saute the onions and garlic on medium heat until they are tender about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a large pan, begin sauteing the pork and turkey. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, garlic powder and crushed red pepper flakes. Move the meat around the break into small crumbles and cook on medium heat for about 12 minutes. Drain any access fat off.

In a small pot, add 2 cups of water to the 1/2 can of tomato paste. Cook together on medium heat and mix together. Add salt, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the following, oregano, paprika and crushed red pepper flakes.

In another small pot, salt and boil 1.5 cups of water and add the minute rice. Cook on high heat for about 5 minutes.

While everything is cooking on the stove, wash the peppers and remove the tops and the all of the insides, taking care to remove all seeds. Slice a small layer off of the bottom to make the peppers flat for baking in the stove.

Using a microwaveable plastic dish, add 1 tablespoon of water and place the peppers inside and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave the peppers for 5 minutes on high heat. It's okay if the peppers are "wilted" they need to be tender.

Use caution when removing the peppers and the plastic wrap as these will be very hot. Let the peppers rest while preparing the filling.

In a large mixing bowl, add the meat, sauce, rice, onions and garlic and mix together. Add in the feta cheese and Parmesan cheese. Season with extra salt, pepper, paprika garlic powder, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes. Note: The meat will probably not be fully cooked and this is OKAY because they will be baked.

Mix everything thoroughly together and using a large spoon, gently spoon the mixture into each pepper allowing the tops to "overflow." Arrange neatly together in a baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese. I suggest to arrange tightly in the center so the peppers support each other.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove and let cool for 3-5 minutes. Serve shortly after and enjoy :-)