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Stuffed Bell Peppers.... We love stuffed bell peppers. I think both my husband and I have great memories of eating stuffed peppers throughout our childhood days. We both liked the way our mothers made them...we added a dollop of sour cream on top. But, this version is a bit different in that it is baked rather than cooked on the stove top, uses turkey instead of beef and has a bit more rice for a lighter version. The stove top method makes the peppers extra soft. The peppers in this recipe have a bit more bite to them Hope you enjoy....
Ingredients: You can easily adjust the amount of rice and meat to suit your liking... and use tomato paste thinned out with water for the canned tomato sauce/ diced tomatoes... or use a mixture of tomato paste with grated fresh tomatoes.3 large red/orange/yellow/green bell peppers 1 small onion, diced1 TBS olive oil3-4 garlic cloves, minced1 cup rice (used basmati rice for a fluffier filling)10 oz ground turkey16 oz can diced tomatoes6 oz can tomato sauce1/2 cup grated jack cheesesalt/pepper to tastedill or parsley to tasteDirections:
1. You can cook the rice to have a head start. I use 1 cup of rice uncooked (the cup that comes with the rice cooker) and get approx. 2 cups cooked rice.2. Wash peppers and cut in half lengthwise. (You can also leave them whole and cut off just the tops. Keep the tops as a "lid" by placing it on top of the filled peppers.) Take out seeds and membranes. Rinse to clean out all the seeds.
[Image]3. At this point, blanch peppers in salted boiling water for about 3-5 minutes or until softened. I skipped this step and left them raw.4. Place about 1/3 of the cut up tomatoes on the bottom of your dish. You may add about 1/2 cup-1 cup water and mix with the tomatoes. Place the peppers on top of the sauce. Set aside.5. Add olive oil to frying pan. Heat on med-low and add onion and garlic.[Image] 6. Saute for about 4-5 minutes or until soft. Lower the heat if you need to so as not to burn. 7. Add turkey, salt, pepper and dill/parsley.[Image] 8. Cook until turkey is cooked through and no longer pink.[Image] 9. Add rice and remainder of the diced tomatoes, and 1/2 can of tomato sauce. [Image]
10. Mix and combine. Turn off heat. Fill bell peppers with rice mixture. Top with a tablespoon or so of the leftover tomato sauce.
[Image]11. Cover with foil and bake in a 375 deg F. preheated oven for about an hour (test and see how soft you want the bell peppers to be halfway through the cooking time... and leave them in a bit longer if you wish)... uncover ...bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle some cheese the last minute or so of the baking time.[Image]