Recipe: Stuffed Bell Peppers

One of our favorite meals to make is stuffed bell peppers. You can stuff them with Italian ingredients, Mexican or pretty much anything. I have seen so many variations on Pinterest. But this is the version I have been making for a long time. I used to use a recipe, but I tweaked it so much to make it my own and this is the one I have been using for years. The girls even like these. Enjoy!

What You Need (Ingredients)

4 red large or 6 medium or green bell peppers (red are sweeter)
1 tbl EVOO
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 tbl minced garlic
1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
Garlic powder
Onion salt/powder
Black pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes (to taste, 1/4 tsp for little heat, 1/2 tsp for more heat)
Parmesan cheese
Handful of freshly chopped parsley

 I usually use red bell peppers, but we grew these in our garden, so I used green.

What You Do (Directions)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (F).
2. Cut the tops off your bell peppers (at the very top to keep as much bell pepper as possible) and clean the inside of them out.
3. In a large pot of boiling water, place your bell peppers in the water to parboil them. Leave them in there for 2 to 3 minutes. You want them to be just tender, but not overly soft. Remove the bell peppers to some paper towels.
4. In a large skillet, heat your oil at medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Around 3 to 4 minutes. Add in your garlic one minute before your onions are done. Do not burn your garlic. Remove the onions and garlic to a side bowl.
5. In the same skillet, brown your meat and cook until it is no longer pink. Make sure you break up the meat into smaller pieces. Drain your grease and add in your seasonings (pepper, garlic powder, onion salt/powder, red pepper flakes, parsley).
6. Add back in your onions, 8 oz of your spaghetti sauce and the rice. Stir until combined and remove from heat. Taste the mixture to make sure it doesn't need anymore seasonings. If it does, add more to your taste.
7. Pour more spaghetti sauce onto the bottom of your pan to just cover the bottom to about 1/8 inch keep.
8. Take your bell peppers and scoop in the meat/rice mixture. Arrange your bell peppers in the pan to give them a little room between each. Spoon on the remaining spaghetti sauce onto the tops of your bell peppers.

9. Bake for 25 minutes or until your meat and rice mixture is heated through. Put parmesan cheese on the top (as much as you like) and bake for another 5 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and let them rest for a few minutes before serving.