Stuffed Bell Peppers

This was a delicious meal!  And quite simple for the pretty and tasty outcome.

We used LOTS of our Bountiful Basket vegetables from the past couple of weeks with this meal . . . crookneck squash, celery, tomatoes, lettuce, and English Cucumbers.

I made these last night and had some of the left overs for lunch today . . . I think my leftovers were even tastier.  The hours in between dinner and lunch gave all of the yummy ingredients time to soak in and really make themselves at home.

I didn't follow an exact recipe . . . I read several different recipes online and used a little something from each one.  I did print this recipe off and used it as a reference for baking temperature, time, etc.  I also tried really hard to keep mine as healthy as possible, by adding lots of extra veggies and NO cheese.

Here's what I did:

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

6 bell peppers (I used 2 green, 2 yellow, and 2 red)

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 white onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small crookneck squash, diced

14.5 oz canned petite diced tomatoes  

1 - 2 cups cooked brown rice (I used 1 1/4 cups uncooked instant brown rice.  Not sure how much it made cooked!  I also only cooked it in a little over half the water the instant rice called for.  Didn't want it to get too soggy with the baking.)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp mexican oregano

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp coriander

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Cut off tops of peppers and clean out seeds.

2.  Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large sauce pan.  Add chopped onion and minced garlic.  Let saute for 5 or 6 minutes. 

3.  Add the carrots, celery, and squash to the onion/garlic mixture and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes.  Remember everything is going to cook together for another 40 minutes in the oven, so don't overcook at this point if you don't want soggy vegetables.

4.  Remove the cooked vegetables from the pan and place in a bowl, off to the side.

5.  Add the lean ground beef and spices.  Chop your beef up so it is really broken up.  Cook until browned.

6.  Add the rice, tomatoes, and vegetable mix to the beef/spice mix and cook together for a few more minutes.

7.  Coat the bottom of a baking dish with tomato sauce or another can of diced tomatoes.

8.  Fill each pepper with the mixture, pressing it down to maximize the space.

9.  Cover with foil and bake on 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

 

By the way, Yes! You could do this with the Anaheim Peppers. Kim, made a stuffed pepper recipe last night (she'll post later) and used her Anaheims.  She cut off the top and sliced it down one side to create a "pocket" that she stuffed.