Stuffed Peppers

I saw this on http://lovestoeat.wordpress.com/ and HAD to try it. I have wanted to try stuffed peppers since I saw them on "House" (go figure) and these did NOT disappoint. They were delicious--the sweetness of the peppers and the tomatoes melded perfectly with the meat mixture. Thanks, venice! These were amazing. My parents are coming to town next week, and I would make these for them if we JUST hadn't eaten them!

Additionally, I made the full recipe. If you only have 2 people (the recipe is for 4), cut it in half. Trust me, one pepper per person is filling enough!

One thing I LOVED about this recipe was the prep/clean-up time in allowed. I was able to prepare all the ingredients while the water was boiling, and clean up while the peppers were cooking. I always love that!

On a side note, I have started my herb garden:

It seems I am ALWAYS spending an ungodly amount of money per week on herbs. Today at Von's, I saw plants for $1.99, and decided to buy basil, thyme, parsley, and oregano. I live in California, so I'm able to keep them outdoors for now, but I encourage everyone to buy a couple of herb plants! They're easy to maintain, and you can keep them indoors for the winter. And you'll save if you're constantly buying fresh herbs, like I am!

Stuffed Peppers

1 tablespoon of table salt

4 medium bell peppers: red, yellow, or orange

1/2 cup of long grain rice (I used whole-grain rice)

1 and 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)

1 pound of beef, preferrably ground chuck (I used ground turkey)

3 medium cloves of garlic, minced

1 can of diced tomatoes, drained (reserve 1/4 cup of the juice. I also used petite diced tomatoes.)

1 and 1/4 cups of monterey jack cheese

2 tablespoons of fresh parsley leaves

Ground black pepper and salt to taste

1/4 cup of ketchup

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and bell peppers. Boil for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove peppers from pot, drain excess water, and place on paper towels, cut side up. Return water to boil, add rice and boil until tender, about 13 minutes or per package instructions. (I had to transfer the water to a smaller saucepan since I lack a fine sieve.) Drain rice and transfer to large bowl; set aside.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Heat 12-inch skillet to medium or medium-high heat until hot; about 1 and 1/2 minutes, add olive oil and swirl to coat. Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown (3-5 minutes). Add ground beef and cook about 4 minutes, breaking up into small pieces and until no longer pink. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3o seconds.

4. Transfer the beef mixture to the large bowl with rice. Stir in tomatoes, 1 cup of the monterey jack cheese, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Place peppers in a 9x9 glass baking dish. Fill each pepper with the beef mixture. Spoon 2 tablespoons (I used 1 tablespoon) of the ketchup mixture over each filled pepper and top with about 1 tablespoon of the remaining monterey jack cheese. Bake until cheese is browned and filling is heated through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

By the way, my husband said I have "cheese issues" today. At this time, we have American, cheddar, queso fresco, fresh parmesan, colby, mozzarella cheese sticks, romano, and pepper jack cheese in our fridge. If having a "cheese issue" is wrong, I don't want to be right!