Normally, my stuffed peppers are on the healthier side with turkey meat and quinoa, but every time I make them, he always tells me about ‘the one time in college’ where he made the most delicious Italian-style stuffed peppers and how they are his favorite. I told him he is more than welcome to get in the kitchen and make them one night, but I have yet to see that. So I decided to appease him, put my own spin on it and try out these infamous stuffed peppers he won’t stop raving about.
Italian Style Stuffed Peppers
- 1- 1 1/2 lbs chopped sirloin
- 1 cup rice, cooked
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1-2 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup Ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- Salt & pepper
- 1/4 cup grated cheese (Parm or Loccatelli), extra for garnish
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the tops off each pepper, clean out the membranes and seeds. In a large pot, boil enough water to cover the peppers. Add a pinch or 2 of salt and the peppers once it begins to boil. Blanch them for about 5 minutes then remove from boiling water and place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Remove from ice bath and set aside.
In a medium pan or skillet, brown the chopped sirloin. While that’s getting started, cook rice. I use long grain white rice and made 1 cup, which serves 4. When the meat is close to brown, add diced onions and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat, and place mixture in a medium sized mixing bowl.
Once the rice is cooked, add a bit at a time to the meat mixture. You don’t have to add all the rice, just enough to bulk up the meat mix or to your liking. Then add chopped tomatoes, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, cheese, basil, ketchup, salt and pepper. Mix well then begin to stuff each pepper. Align in a baking dish and top with some more tomato sauce. Cook for 30 minutes, then add some grated cheese and more sauce on top and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Serve with some extra sauce and cheese on the side.
Enjoy!
– Amanda
