Stuffed Bell Peppers

By cboudx

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup total chopped green and red bell pepper
• 2 tbls chopped garlic
• 1 cup tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 3/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 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 1/2 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

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from keyingredient.com

Preparation

Step 1

*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.
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.