Friday Night Stuffed Bell Peppers

Usually, I decide what we will be having for dinner early in the morning.  This way, if anything needs to be defrosted, there will be more than enough time for it.  This past Friday, I looked in the freezer and saw some lean ground beef and thought, "What could I make with this tonight?".  The idea of stuffed peppers came to mind.  I immediately took out the ground beef to defrost.  I went to the grocery store and picked up some fresh green and red bell peppers.  I just love the bright color and taste of these!

I bought 3 red and 3 green bell peppers.  I cut the tops off and reserved them.  Next, I removed the seeds and washed the peppers under water.  Make sure when you buy bell peppers for stuffing, that they sit flat on the bottom, so they do not topple over when you fill them! 

Put your bell peppers and reserved tops in a large pot of boiling, salted water.  I added 3 at a time, in 2 batches.  Boil them for approximately 4 minutes.  This significantly reduces the time they have to cook in the oven.  Remove from the water and set them aside to cool. 

If you don't have a food processor, I really recommend buying one.  It is such a handy appliance.  You can use it to chop and crush veggies, make sauces, even make pie crust!  It really is an essential in my kitchen.  Here, as you can see, I chopped up one whole onion and 4 garlic cloves. 

Saute onion and garlic in 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.

Add 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef. Stir and crush beef with wooden spoon until fully cooked.  Add salt, pepper, and seasoning.  

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Add 1 cup of cooked long-grain rice.  I used basmati rice.

Next, I added 1 1/2 cups of my homemade tomato sauce and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.  Stir until sauce is heated through and cheese has melted.

Now, take your cooled peppers and fill them to the top with the delicious ground beef and rice mixture.

Place the bell peppers flat in a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Fill the bottom of the dish with 1 cup of hot water.  Bake uncovered, in a 350 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle tops with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.  Return to the oven for another 15 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.  You won't believe how gorgeous your house will smell at this point!

Remove from the oven and place bell peppers on a serving dish.  You can serve with tops on or off!

Isn't it wonderful how you can turn a simple vegetable into an edible treasure chest?  Each one hiding it's own little treasure inside!

I really hope you enjoyed this post.  The next time you have some ground beef lying around, and you're not sure what to do with it, maybe you can make some yummy stuffed peppers.  Thank you for stopping by my kitchen and I hope to see you again real soon!  I would love to hear your comments!  Happy Tuesday!