I posted in a previous post that I’d be making my Stuffed Bell Peppers With Tomato Jus. When I posted my trip to our farmers’ market here in Tennessee, I brought back home all kinds of sweet peppers. Some were bell-shaped and were lovely, sweet, pointed peppers. A picture is shown below, illustrating what these peppers look like. The farmers’ market run by the Amish community offered so many varieties of peppers, I couldn’t help myself, so I bought some of each. This is a farm-to-table dish!
I want to mention I’m using boil-in-a-bag white rice for the filling in this dish. The stars are the peppers, so I don’t mind using a shortcut with the rice.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Yields: 12 servings
Equipment: 1 (9 x 13) baking dish, chef’s knife, serrated knife, cutting board, 1 (6-quart) sauce pot, 1 (3-quart) sauce pot, whisk, 1 large mixing bowl, 1 medium-sized mixing bowl, small mixing bowl
Ingredients:
12 multi-colored bell peppers (I’m using 4 pointed and 8 bell peppers for this recipe)
2 pounds ground chicken, substitute ground beef or turkey
2 cups of cooked white rice (1 bag of boil-in-a-bag rice will yield 2 cups; brown rice is fine)
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 large onion, small dice
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of Japanese eggplant, small dice
1 large zucchini, small dice
1 large summer (yellow) squash, small dice
1/2 cup of colored bell peppers, small dice, optional (I’m using the tops from the pointed peppers to add to the filling)
3 tablespoons of kosher salt, divided
3 teaspoons of fresh ground black pepper, divided
3 tablespoons of dried oregano, divided
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1/2 cup of tomato paste, divided
1 tablespoon of paprika
1 1/2 cups of Panko bread crumbs
2 cups of shredded Mozzarella cheese, thick-cut style
1 tablespoon of dried parsley flakes
3 cups of chicken broth, unsalted
Instructions:
In a 3-quart sauce pot, cook the boil-in-a-bag rice according to the directions on the box. Add a sprinkling of kosher salt to the boiling water. Once cooked, drain off any excess water and place into a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
Dice and mince all the vegetables for the filling, and set aside. In a 6-quart saucepot, over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the diced vegetables to the pot, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of dried oregano, and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Next, add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or until you can smell the garlic. Transfer to the bowl containing the cooked rice.
In the same pot, still over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the ground chicken. Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon of dried oregano. Break the meat up and cook for 5-7 minutes. Next, add paprika and 1/4 cup of tomato paste, stir to combine, and continue cooking for another 3 minutes. Combine the meat with the rice and vegetables in the large mixing bowl, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to cool down slightly, and then add 1 cup of the shredded Mozzarella cheese and mix to combine.
When you’re ready to make dinner, preheat the oven to 350°F.
At the bottom of the baking dish, add the chicken broth, remaining tomato paste, dried oregano, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Whisk everything until the tomato paste is incorporated.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the Panko, the remaining shredded Mozzarella cheese, dried parsley, and the remaining extra-virgin olive oil. Mix to combine.
Fill the peppers with the meat and rice mixture and top each with the breadcrumb cheese mixture. Place the peppers one at a time, cut-side up, in the baking dish where they all stand upright.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve piping hot!
Notes:
1) I’m using the leftover vegetables from the Vegetable Tart I made earlier to add to the filling in this recipe. You could use any vegetables you have on hand to add to the filling. Example: Roma tomatoes, zucchini, squash, or peppers.
2) Leftovers will stay good for up to three days, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven. They taste great the next day!
3) Yes! Instead of lean ground beef, you can use ground turkey. Or, for an extra flavorful boost, you can even use ground sausage.
4) Some recipes will have you boil or roast the peppers before stuffing them, but that’s not necessary here. They bake long enough, stuffed, that the peppers get cooked through. Pouring a small amount of liquid into the bottom of the baking dish and wrapping it tightly in foil creates steam to help them cook.
5) If you have extra Panko topping when you’re done filling the peppers. Place them into a small oven-safe dish. Watch it carefully, it won’t take long to brown and crisp up. Extra crumb topping can’t hurt!
Stuffed Bell Peppers With Tomato Jus
Equipment
- 1 baking dish 9 x 13
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 serrated knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 sauce pot 6-quart
- 1 sacue pot 3-quart
- 1 wisk
- 1 mixing bowl Large
- 1 mixing bowl Medium-size
- 1 mixing bowl Small
Ingredients
- 12 multi-colored bell peppers
- 2 pounds ground chicken substitute ground beef or turkey
- 2 cups cooked white rice 1 bag of boil-in-a-bag rice will yield 2 cups; brown rice is fine
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil Divided
- 1/2 large onion Small dice
- 3 cloves garlic Minced
- 1/2 cup Japanese eggplant Small dice
- 1 large zucchini Small dice
- 1 large summer (yellow) squash Small dice
- 1/2 cup colored bell peppers Optional (I'm using the tops from the pointed peppers to add to the filling)
- 3 tbsps kosher salt Divided
- 3 tsps black pepper Freshly ground
- 3 tbsps dried oregano Divided
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup tomato paste Divided
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese thick-cut style
- 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
- 3 cups chicken broth Unsalted
Instructions
- In a 3-quart sauce pot, cook the boil-in-a-bag rice according to the directions on the box. Add a sprinkling of kosher salt to the boiling water. Once cooked, drain off any excess water and place into a large mixing bowl, and set aside.Dice and mince all the vegetables for the filling, and set aside. In a 6-quart saucepot, over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the diced vegetables to the pot, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of dried oregano, and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Next, add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or until you can smell the garlic. Transfer to the bowl containing the cooked rice.In the same pot, still over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the ground chicken. Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon of dried oregano. Break the meat up and cook for 5-7 minutes. Next, add paprika and 1/4 cup of tomato paste, stir to combine, and continue cooking for another 3 minutes. Combine the meat with the rice and vegetables in the large mixing bowl, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to cool down slightly, and then add 1 cup of the shredded Mozzarella cheese and mix to combine.When you're ready to make dinner, preheat the oven to 350°F.At the bottom of the baking dish, add the chicken broth, remaining tomato paste, dried oregano, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Whisk everything until the tomato paste is incorporated.In a small mixing bowl, combine the Panko, the remaining shredded Mozzarella cheese, dried parsley, and the remaining extra virgin olive oil. Mix to combine.Fill the peppers with the meat and rice mixture and top each with the breadcrumb cheese mixture. Place the peppers one at a time, cut-side up, in the baking dish where they all stand upright.Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve piping hot!
Notes
1) I'm using the leftover vegetables from the Vegetable Tart I made earlier to add to the filling in this recipe. You could use any vegetables you have on hand to add to the filling. Example: Roma tomatoes, zucchini, squash, or peppers.
2) Leftovers will stay good for up to three days, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven. They taste great the next day!
3) Yes! Instead of lean ground beef, you can use ground turkey. Or, for an extra flavorful boost, you can even use ground sausage.
4) Some recipes will have you boil or roast the peppers before stuffing them, but that's not necessary here. They bake long enough, stuffed, that the peppers get cooked through. Pouring a small amount of liquid into the bottom of the baking dish and wrapping it tightly in foil creates steam to help them cook.
5) If you have extra Panko topping when you're done filling the peppers. Place them into a small oven-safe dish. Watch it carefully, it won't take long to brown and crisp up. Extra crumb topping can't hurt!
https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/
https://lindalouhamel.com/2014/01/09/quinoa-stuffed-roasted-peppers/
