Bless Her Heart

My Mom was a truly excellent cook, but there was one thing that she made regularly that I absolutely hated…

Stuffed Bell Peppers…

I knew as soon as I walked up to the dinner table and saw these beautiful red or green peppers stuffed with anything that I would soon be asking if I could have a bowl of Cap’n Crunch…or Golden S’Mores…or Cookie Crisp…

Heck, I’d even take Corn Flakes as long as I could slide a banana into them.

However, in the last three decades of married life, I have learned the secret to making delicious stuffed bell peppers.

The secret to really good stuffed bell peppers is to make sure that your bell peppers are nice and tender before stuffing them.

Also make sure that you’d be willing to eat whatever you’re stuffing them with on its own. If it tastes bad on its own, then it’s probably gonna taste even worse stuffed into a bell pepper.

Now I’m able to make stuffed bell peppers that not only look gorgeous, but that also taste delicious…not to mention the fact that they’re ready in less than an hour.

Green Bell Peppers:  –Bell peppers are a edible vessel for a great filling…adding a sweet and tender contrast.

Ground Beef:  –Ground beef is typically the protein in a stuffed bell pepper recipe, although the alternatives are basically limitless…(more on this later).

Long Grain White Rice – It absorbs all the delicious juices and flavors from the beef and sauce.

Tomato Sauce: –Tomato sauce adds a saucy, zesty taste and ties all the ingredients together beautifully.

Worcestershire Sauce –: Worcestershire adds a deep, savory umami kick to the filling…(and kudos to those of you who can actually spell the word correctly without looking at the bottle)…

Salt and Pepper:  –After all, don’t all recipes call for salt and pepper.

Garlic Powder and Onion Powder: Garlic powder and onion powder give stuffed bell peppers their classic, home-cooked taste…and this is a Southern recipe for a main dish, you kinda expect them to be called for in the recipe somewhere.

Italian Seasoning – Italian seasoning adds flavor…as if you couldn’t already figure that out, right(?!),,,

Toppings (optional): chopped fresh parsley, shredded cheddar, sour cream

• 6 green bell peppers
• 1½# ground beef
• ½C uncooked long grain white rice…(3C cooked)
• 16oz tomato sauce
• 1Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½tsp salt
• ¼tsp pepper
• ½tsp garlic powder
• ¼tsp onion powder
• 1tsp Italian seasoning

Prep: Preheat oven to 350°. Line 9×13 with foil. Spray with cooking spray.

Cook the Rice:  Bring water and rice to a boil in a covered saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Simmer 20min.

Cook the Meat: Place a large skillet over medium heat.

Once the pan is hot, add the crumbled ground beef, Also add the onion powder and garlic powder.

Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid.

Prep the Peppers: Although you don’t necessarily have to pre-cook the peppers, I like mine extra soft…so I always boil them first.

Cut the tops off the bell peppers. Scoop out the seeds and any membranes. Discard.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven.

Cook the peppers in tin boiling water for three minutes, until crisp-tender. Drain. Rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking.

After they have boiled, arrange the peppers in a baking dish with the hollow side face up. removing and

Finish the Filling. Add the cooked rice and 8oz tomato sauce to the cooked meat.

Fill the peppers: Sit the green peppers upright in the baking dish. If they won’t sit flat, take a tiny slice off the bottom of the pepper to make it level.

Spoon about the same amount of filling into each hollowed pepper.

Pour the tomato sauce on top: Stir together the remaining 8oz tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. Dreizzle this over the peppers.

Bake: Cover the dish with foil. This helps to keep the bell peppers from drying out.

If you have cooked the bell peppers already, bake for 30 minutes, basting each pepper after 15 minutes. If your bell peppers are raw, bake, you may have to cook them longer.

To Make Ahead: Follow the recipe steps, but don’t add the cheese on top yet. Refrigerate the peppers until it’s time to cook them. Top with cheese and bake, adding 10 minutes to the cooking time.

To Make in Crockpot: Grease the bottom of your Crockpot or slow cooker and place the filled peppers inside. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours, depending on how big your peppers are. Top with cheese at the last 30 minutes of cooking.

To Store: Refrigerate leftover stuffed peppers for up to four days. Make sure they’re completely cooled before storing to slow bacteria growth.

To Freeze: Wrap each completely-cooled stuffed pepper individually in storage wrap. Then wrap each with a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months. When ready to eat, thaw in fridge overnight. Reheat them in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. 

To Reheat: Thaw frozen stuffed peppers in the fridge overnight. Then reheat the peppers for 1-2 minutes in the microwave or in the oven for 10 minutes at 350.