One recipe that has always been one of my favorites is stuffed bell peppers. Seeing a large green bell pepper sitting upright and full of lean ground beef (or sausage), rice and covered in cheese is nothing short of a true southern delicacy here in Mississippi!
Stuffed Green Peppers – (this is a recipe for 4 peppers)
Cut the tops off 4 green peppers and scoop out the seeds and the white side rinds. You don’t have to use all green, you can also use red, yellow and orange peppers.
Then place the peppers into a deep pot full of hot water. I place my peppers into the water so that each pepper is full of water and the opening is facing up. I also give my water a few shakes of sea salt. Boil the peppers until the skin begins to look a tinge darker and you can squeeze the sides of the pepper easily. BUT, you don’t want to over boil them to the point that they are too tender and floppy. If that happens, they will not be able to hold the stuffing.
After 10-15 minutes of boiling, take them out to cool on a cutting board upside down. This helps the pepper to drain of excess water. While the pepper are boiling, you can be preparing the stuffing.
Stuffing for Peppers
Brown 1 lb of lean ground beef or ground turkey in a skillet with 1 small, diced onion. Now is a good time to add 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of black pepper and 1 tsp of Greek seasoning.
While meat and onions are cooking, in another deep sauce pan, prepare 2 cups of cooked rice. **It can be gluten free, wild rice, white rice, brown rice … It’s all a personal preference.
After you have prepared the rice and the meat mixture, pour it all into one large bowl. Stir it all together and let it cool a bit.While it is cooling, heat up 2 cans of seasoned black beans. I bought mine at Kroger and purchased the Kroger brand, but any seasoned black beans will work great. After the beans are thoroughly heated, add them to the meat and rice mixture. Stir. Then add 1 cup of either Mexican Mix Cheese, OR Mild Cheddar Jack Cheese. It’s a combination of cheddar and colby jack and is delicious in this recipe!
Then, stuff each pepper to the top with the meat and rice and bean mixture. Top each pepper off with one last & large pinch of cheese, being sure to cover the tops.
Bake in a 350-degree oven until the cheese melts.
Serve with steamed broccoli and a side dish of ambrosia … it is so yummy that I’m ready to make it all again!
Hope you enjoy!
