For some reason, I wanted to make stuffed peppers today. Maybe because I saw a stuffed pepper recipe on Facebook the other day, but I have been making stuffed peppers for a long time, it’s been a while, and they just called my name. Plus I have 8 bell peppers in my refrigerator. Anyway, I got a stuffed pepper recipe from an amazing lady many years ago. She got it from her Greek mother-in-law. It involved a lot of simmering and the peppers were stuffed with a raw ground beef and uncooked rice mixture. They were delicious.

I have made them successfully and unsuccessfully that way. Getting the raw rice to cook takes a bit of time, and then I feel I lose the integrity of the pepper - although they are resilient and can hold their color when I cook them that long, but… I’ve researched a lot of recipes, and they all use cooked rice. So with this attempt, I am deviating from what I know. Stepping out of my comfort zone, so to speak, but here goes.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups cooked rice
• 8 - 10 bell peppers of various colors but similar size
• 2 lbs. ground meat of your choice - beef, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb or a combo of any
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. fennel seed (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 1/2 med. onion, 1/4 inch dice
• Tops of all the peppers, diced as the onion
• 2 cloves of garlic, (or to taste), smashed
• 1 15 oz. can of San Marzano tomato sauce, or 1 jar of basic tomato sauce
• Chicken or beef stock as needed
• 2” parmesan cheese rind or 1/2 cup grated parmesan

First cook the rice - I use a jasmati /basmati. Just because. Use what you want or have. 2 parts lightly salted water to 1 part rice or per directions. Let cool a bit.

While the rice cooks, prep the peppers. Cut off the tops and dice them for use in the stuffing mixture. Clean the peppers from seed and membrane. Put the hollowed out peppers in an oiled baking dish all nice and cozy. Feel free to lightly drizzle the insides with a bit of olive oil and s/p.

Next, make a ragu with ground meat. I chose grass fed beef and pork today, but have used turkey, chicken or other. Use a tomato sauce of some sort, the diced peppers, onion, garlic and whatever else you wanna put in there: beans, mushrooms, other veggies, etc. Use what you’ve got. Clean that veggie drawer out! You can totally make this vegetarian by using beans instead of meat.

FOR THE RAGU: Start with the ground meat in a hot skillet with some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, the dried herbs (oregano and thyme for me, but basil, rosemary, whatever you love), fennel and chili flakes. Break up until it’s fine and cook until close to done. Add the finely chopped veggies and garlic. Stir until the veggies are starting to cook - remember, they will cook in the oven. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.

Add either a can of San Marzano tomato puree or jar of tomato sauce. Or paste with water or stock. Just add tomatoes, whatever you’ve got, until you’ve got a sauce!! Add the cooked rice. If it is too tight, add stock, more tomatoes, etc. Taste and adjust seasonings. I have added a parmesan cheese rind at this time, but if you don’t have one don’t sweat it. I will get you there.

Let it simmer on low for 20 minutes or so and TASTE IT AGAIN!! I stirred a small amount of marscapone in at this point, only because I had it. If you have no parmesan rind add some grated parm now. Use your imagination and what you have on hand to make it tasty - including other veggies, cannelloni beans or chick peas, etc. And then let it sit and cool for 30 minutes.

Once the mixture cools and the flavors meld a bit, TASTE IT AGAIN, figure out if it needs anything or if you love it. It should not be watery, but much like a thick pasta sauce with rice and veggies in it. ONLY WHEN YOU LOVE IT, load up the hollowed out peppers with the mixture — mound it, but loosely! Make sure the peppers are tight in the dish so they don’t flop around. And if you have any left over mix, save and use for burritos, etc. or just eat it straight up for lunch tomorrow!

Add a bit of water, stock or tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish (1/8 inch). I would totally do another drizzle of olive oil over the top of everything, but that’s just me. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover, load some cheddar, jack or melty cheese of choice on top and cook for another 15 minutes or until cheese is browned and lovely.

Let sit for 10 minutes to set and serve with a green salad and some garlic bread. Serve it to people you love.

SIDE NOTE: I did reference a vegetarian option. Do everything, prep-wise, about the same. For the ragu, sautee your veggies, add the tomato sauce, then add the beans. And if you are vegan, leave out the cheese. Enjoy.