Cafeteria Chic – Beef and Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers... a Work in Progress
The last time I saw stuffed bell peppers, they were sitting in a steam table in a hospital cafeteria. I didn't get them, but it was tempting. I really love the flavor profile of stuffed bell peppers, or as they say in hospital cafeterias, I like the flavor of stuffed bell peppers.
The sweet bitterness of the roasted pepper, along with the aromatic, meaty filling makes for a very nice plate of food. And of course, any time you can get your meat, vegetable, and starch in one neat package, you have to love that.
As I say at the beginning of the video, I'm still playing around with different fillings for this recipe before deciding on which version goes in the cookbook. This is pretty close however, and no matter what you use, the technique for prepping the peppers is basically the same.
Many people boil the peppers for a few minutes first. I don't, and have never felt the need to. Also, many recipes call for browning the beef first, then making the stuffing. I may try that out, but I've always used raw meat, and think it's probably a better way to go.
The biggest potential change to the recipe you see in the clip is the meat. For the cookbook, I'll probably use a sausage and beef blend. More flavor, and more fat, usually means a better recipe, but stay tuned for the final word on that.
The ingredients below are exactly what I used, but I've made notes next to some with suggestions. If you give these a try, and come up with some incredible combination, please let me know. Enjoy!
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Ingredients:
- 6 bell peppers
- 1 1/2 pounds ground meat (I used all lean beef, but suggest you try 1 lb. beef with 1/2 lb. pork sausage)
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 2 cups tomato sauce, divided (I would increase this to 3 cups, and use an extra cup in the baking dish)
- 1/2 cup beef broth (I would increase this to 1 cup)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 4 cloves garlic, minced fine
- 1/2 cup finely grated real Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano)
- 1 1/2 cups cooked rice