Stuffed Peppers

These peppers received high praise when I cooked them for our traditional Tuesday night American Idol gathering. I'm posting just the general recipe, but for mine, I used ground turkey, brown rice, and fat-free cheese, which makes them a very healthy choice for a meal.

These also are great for leftovers. I brought them to work for lunch both Wednesday and Thursday and they tasted almost as good as they did when I first took them out of the oven. My friend, Paula, suggested freezing them for a quick meal later on.

Stuffed Green Peppers

Six Green or Red Peppers
2 cups cooked rice
1.5 pounds of ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
15 oz. can of tomato sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon crushed basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Cut peppers in half, lengthwise, and remove seeds and membrane. Bring enough water to cover peppers to a boil in a stockpot and immerse peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes. (This helps to pre-cook the peppers so they are soft, instead of crunchy, when they come out of the oven.)

Cook meat and onions in large pan. When almost thoroughly cooked, add tomato sauce, salt, and garlic to meat. Cook, stirring frequently.

Put peppers in a glass, non-greased casserole dish. Spoon meat mixture into each pepper. Cook in 375-degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over the top of peppers and return to oven for another 10 minutes of cooking.