Italian baked stuffed peppers

This is the classic baked Italian stuffed pepper recipe I grew up with, tomato seasoned ground beef, rice and cheese, so good.

Stuffed bell peppers are the perfect easy to make dinner that can be made inexpensively, and always a crowd pleaser. The thick succulent skin and hollow insides of peppers make them ideal for stuffing and baking with all different ingredients and combinations.

Things to know about this Italian baked stuffed pepper recipe

Stuffed peppers are what leftovers are for. They can be filled with any combination of starches, meats, beans and sauces, making them a great vessel for leftovers. Most stuffed peppers are made because we have left over rice.

You can adjust this recipe in many different places. The rice can be swamped for couscous or quinoa, you can use ground beef, or leftover roast chicken  or leave the meat out. If your going the vegetarian route  replace it with beans of your liking. Some stuffed pepper recipes call for cutting off the tops and using them as a lid for the peppers. In this recipe I sliced the peppers in half, for easier eating, plus who doesn’t like to see a cheesy open faced stuffed pepper.

I used a mixture of white rice and brown rice, if you need too, cook the rice according to package directions, or you can use precooked rice if you have some laying around.

I used different colored peppers for this recipe, the more common green peppers work just as well. Roast the the peppers about 10 minutes before filling, I use my toaster oven for this recipe, I don’t like using my big oven for roasting small amounts of

ingredients, it heats up quickly and produces the same results. In fact I use my toaster oven on a more regular basis then my large oven.

After stuffing the bell peppers, top them with  a cheese of your choice,  place them in a oven to table casserole dish, and return to oven for 45 minutes minutes, or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

Ingredients

• 6 large bell peppers
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 4 cups marinara sauce
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 2 cups cooked brown or white rice
• 2 cups chopped spinach
• 1 egg
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 1/3 cup  chopped Italian parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

• Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degreesCook rice according to package directions2. Rub bell peppers  with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes… set aside
•   In a deep saute pan in  4 Tbsp. of olive oil, over medium high heat saute the onion and garlic until soft and jut beginning to brown. add the fresh tomatoes and ground beef and cook until the meat is brown. Then add the half of the marinara saute and simmer for 10 minutes.
• remove from the fire and add the spinach, parsley, egg and rice salt and pepper to taste. Mix well divide the filling among the 12 bell pepper halves. Top with the remaining marinara more grated parmesan . and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 45 minutes.  Top with chopped Italian  parsley. ENJOY!!!