Italian Cheese Stuffed Peppers

By Stina

Ingredients

• 8 large red bell peppers
• 1 cup dried orzo pasta
• 1 pound 95% lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 75mins
Adapted from daisybrand.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cut the tops off, remove inside ribs, and cut a small slice from the bottom of teach bell pepper (to keep pepper upright). Cook the orzo pasta according to package directions, drain, and set aside. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking-pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a large skillet place the ground beef, ground Italian sausage, and onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the meat is no longer pink and the onion has softened (10 to 12 minutes). Remove from heat. In a large bowl, add the meat mixture, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, basil, salt, oregano, and pepper. Mix well. Place about 1 cup filling in each pepper. Place each pepper in prepared pan. (The small slice cut off the bottom of the peppers will help keep the peppers upright while baking). Cover the peppers and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until filling is heated through, the cheese is melted, and peppers are softened. Meanwhile, in small skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the bread crumbs and cook stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes until bread crumbs become light brown. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese and set aside. Remove the peppers from the oven and uncover the pan. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons bread crumb mixture on top of each pepper. Continue baking, uncovered, for 5 to 6 minutes or until Parmesan cheese melts and crumbs are golden brown.