1 lb. ground meat, any type. Plant based crumbles work well too.
3 C. cooked rice. I used simple parboiled rice. Any rice will do!
3 Bell peppers, rough chopped. I used one green, one yellow, and one red. Poblanos work well too!
1 onion, coarsely chopped. I used a large sweet onion.
1 can tomatoes. I used fire roasted with garlic and onion. No need to drain.
Cheese for topping. I used a non-dairy cheese substitute.
Oil for cooking peppers and onions and browning meat.
Seasonings to taste. I used 2 tsp. salt blend, 2 tsp. Italian seasoning, and 1 Tbsp. garlic powder. Plus I sprinkled a little on the peppers when I tossed them with the oil.
Preheat oven to 375.
Cook rice according to package directions. I always add garlic, salt and either butter or bacon fat to my rice. Broth works well too for extra flavor.
While rice is cooking, prepare the other ingredients for the casserole.
Toss chopped peppers with oil and seasoning. Place in 13 x 9 baking dish and bake till browned a bit.
Meanwhile, cook onion in oil in a skillet until soft. Add meat and cook until no longer pink with some yummy brown bits on the pan. It’s best not to use a non-stick pan if you’re trying to create some font. I used my cast iron pan.
Everything will finish around the same time. Now it’s time to assemble your casserole.
The peppers in the 13 x 9 baking dish will be the bottom layer.
Combine rice, meat mixture, and tomatoes. Spread half over the peppers. Sprinkle with cheese. Spread remaining rice mixture, and top with a final layer of cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted.
Serve topped with sour cream, if desired.
The boys add a little hot sauce to theirs!
Although it may not be true to stuffed peppers original recipe, you can give this a Mexican twist by using salsa and Mexican spices, and adding in beans, if desired. You can also easily take it to an Asian or Indian directions simply by changing up the seasonings!
I bought what I thought was a Thai ginger sauce. It turned out to have vegetables in it. It still worked well in my recipe though!
First time I used this. It was yummy, but I added some curry to give it more of a bite.
3 Large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1 inch cubes, seasoned with a little salt and pepper.
2 peppers (I used one red, one yellow), roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 pouches curry sauce.
Put some rice on to cook. I made 6 cups of Jasmine rice, since the boys love their rice. Hint: I always season the water well and put in minced garlic and butter for amazing tasting rice!
Cook onions and peppers in oil in a large skillet until softened.
Add chicken to skilled and cook until golden brown.
Add sauce pouches, and simmer until internal temperature of chicken is 165 F. Mine took about 15 minutes.
The variations of this are endless. You can add in just about any vegetables you want. It’s a good way to use up leftover veggies. It works well with other meats too! You can throw it in the crockpot to keep it warm if your family’s like mine and we’re not always ready to eat at the same time. You could add the rice in to the sauce in the crockpot, but it can get mushy. Even if the rice is cooled down, putting the hot sauce over it is enough to bring it up to a nice temperature to eat.
4 c. carrots, green beans, peas, mushrooms – use whatever you have.
2 c. homemade or store bought gravy
2 Tbsp. Oil for roasting veggies
2- 3 tsp. Seasoning mix.
Toss vegetables with oil and spread on sheet pan. Bake in 350 oven until crisp tender. You could also cook these in with the meat. Both work, but we like the roasted flavor when they are done in the oven.
Brown meat in large skillet or dutch oven.
Add in vegetables and gravy.
Pour into 13 x 9 baking dish prayed with coconut oil, and top with frozen tater tots.
Increase oven temperature to 400, and put on the top rack.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until tots are crispy and golden.
I made some secret sauce for last night’s turkey burgers. I had about 1/2 cup left and decided to Marinade boneless skinless chicken thighs in it. It was a little thick, so I thinned it out with Italian dressing. I served it with roasted potatoes, golden beets, cauliflower, and baby Bella mushrooms.
Secret sauce:
1/4 c. Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Sweet pickle juice
2 Tbsp. Ketchup
1 tsp. Horseradish
1 tsp. Smoked paprika
1 tsp. Garlic powder
Combine and refrigerate.
I combined the leftover secret sauce and 1/4 c. Italian dressing and marinaded the thighs. They bake up beautifully in the marinade.
Meanwhile, I prepped some veggies to roast.
I preheated the oven to 400 F. And tossed the veggies to roast with olive and coconut oil with a home blended seasoned salt.
I like to cook mushrooms on the stovetop. I toss 8 oz. of quartered baby Bella with 1 tsp. Seasoned salt and 1/2 c. Water over medium heat.
The chicken and veggies in the oven will take 35 to 45 minutes. The mushroom take about the same.
When veggies in the oven are tender, I put a few Tablespoons of butter in each baking dish. When the water with the mushrooms is almost gone, I add 2 Tbsp. Butter with them too.
I cut up the chicken into 1 inch cubes and put back in the oven for the sauce to thicken.
vickidelbrouck 