Stuffed Bell Peppers

I am so excited to finally share my recipe for my “world famous” stuffed bell peppers! I used to make these all the time in college (even made them for some basketball players!) and really had a craving for them the other night. If you are looking for an easy, meat free dinner, look no further!

For reference, this recipe typically serves two but you can adjust depending on the crowd!

Ingredients

Half a white onion
Handful of white mushrooms
Two bell peppers
Cup of rice
Cup of red sauce
Half a cup of shredded cheese (Italian blend preferred)
Four slices mozarella
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pepper to taste

Directions

Step One: Chop and Prep Vegetables

Start any dish by laying out ingredients and preparing the stove. You want the stove to be on a medium heat and the oven preheating to 375. Grab a casserole dish and set aside.

Now, start by chopping the onion and mushroom into manageable pieces. This could be a time to also add in tofu or ground turkey if desired. For todays dish, I just went with veggies!

Step Two: Sauté Veggies

Now, add the olive oil and sauté the veggies until softened. This usually takes a few minutes and I recommend stirring as they cook. While the veggies are cooking, be sure to cut each pepper in half. These are the boats for the filling!

Step 3: Prepare the Filling

Once the veggies are cooked down, be sure to add in the red sauce and the rice. I usually cook down the rice for 5-8 minutes, sometimes adding in water if the rice seems dry. This will allow for the best texture when baking the peppers.

After the rice is cooked, sprinkle in the shredded cheese and allow to melt. This is also a great time to get the peppers in the dish so they are ready for stuffing.

Step 4: Stuff Peppers and Bake

From here, fill up the peppers as desired. I try and fill them to the top but not to a point where they are overflowing with the rice mixture. Once the peppers are stuffed, place a thick slice of mozzarella on top. Now you can add this all into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Step 5: Cool and Serve

And like that, your peppers are good to go! I usually let mine cool for a few minutes before eating since they do get rather warm. The best part of this dinner is its simplicity; I typically make mine in a 20 or so minute time frame before the baking portion. It’s the perfect dinner for anyone looking to make something delicious and relatively healthy. If you enjoyed this recipe, commend below and let me know if you’d like me to share more! I have gotten back into cooking recently and look forward to testing an array of summer dishes!

Until next time,

Lauren

How to Make Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers