Stuffed Bell Peppers

By á-2397

This is my stuffed bell pepper recipe. It is another recipe that reminds me of growing up at home and remembering the wonderful meals that my mother made and the times that I use to spend with her in the kitchen. I did not have her specific recipe for her stuffed bell peppers, but my memories helped to create my version.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 cup total chopped green and red bell pepper
• 2 tbls chopped garlic
• 1 cup tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• ¾ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp Creole seasoning
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 3 medium to large bell peppers (red, green & yellow)* Cut in half lengthwise with all seeds removed.
• 1 ½ Chicken stock
• 3 tbls chopped fresh basil
• 2 tbls chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tbls Italian bread crumbs
• 3 tbls Parmesan cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Unsalted butter
• *NOTE: I chose to use the red and the yellow bell peppers instead of all green bell peppers because I like the sweetness that they add to the dish.

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 35mins
Cooking time 65mins
Adapted from grouprecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom of a shallow baking dish.
In a large skillet put about 3 tbls of olive oil in the bottom of the pan and over medium heat brown the sausage.
Next, add the onions, celery and bell pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are soft then add the garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes.
Add the cooked rice, tomatoes, oregano, Italian and Creole seasonings and ½ cup of the chicken stock and mix to thoroughly combine all ingredients.
Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped basil and parsley.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.
Fill each bell pepper half with the sausage mixture, be generous, I was as you will see in my illustration. ;o) As you fill each pepper, place them in the prepared baking dish.
Next, sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over each pepper, drizzle the tops with a little olive oil then fill the baking dish with the remaining 1 cup chicken stock. I use chicken stock instead of water because it just adds another dept of flavor. Place in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes until the tops are browned and the peppers are tender.