Stuffed Bell Peppers

Posted byNoriePosted inbeefTags:,
(A “Filipinized” version)

I was kind of hungry for stuffed bell pepper and it just so happened the bell peppers were on sale so I bought a few thinking to cut them up and freeze them to use later but decided to use some for the stuffed peppers. 

Then I remembered my husband had told me a long time ago that he hates stuffed bell peppers and never liked them.  He said it never tasted good to him.  I made them anyway  but only a small batch so in case he didn’t eat them I wouldn’t have to eat them for several days myself.

I did not cook anything else so he would  not have a choice.  He looked disappointed when he saw his plate  and knew that he would not like his dinner.  But he did not want to go hungry so he grudgingly took a small bite and then went “Hmm, this is good!”  So he ate his serving and more.  He expected it to be the same as what he had eaten before we were married.  I think whoever cooked it before or where he had it before used a recipe that doesn’t pre-cook the ground beef before stuffing it in the peppers, like cabbage rolls.  My recipe is not the same.  In fact this is my own version, sort of like a fusion or Filipinized American dish.

This dish will be repeated soon because my very picky eater husband liked it. He is asking for a repeat. It was another success!

This is a small batch for two. You can adjust the recipe for more servings.

Ingredients:

  • ½ lb. ground chuck
  • 2 large green or other colored bell peppers
  • ½ yellow onion, diced small (about ½ cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 large ripe Roma tomatoes, diced or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
  • ½ tsp. oregano
  • Dash of dried Italian Seasoning (optional)
  • ½ tsp. salt or to taste, pepper
  • ¼ tsp. MSG (optional)
  • ¾ cup cooked white rice
  • 1 cup shredded cheese or your choice, divided
  • Parsley for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

Heat 1 TBSP oil in a skillet then saute the onions and garlic together until the onions soften and turn translucent then add the ground beef.  Stir and press the ground beef to separate.  When the ground beef is browned or no longer red, add the tomatoes and continue to press and stir.  Add the oregano and Italian seasoning if using and the salt and pepper.  Stir and press occasionally until the ground beef is done and the liquid is mostly evaporated.  Add the rice and ¾ cup of shredded cheese.  Turn the heat off and let cool.

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise and de-seed.  Divide the meat mixture in fourths (because I had four pieces of peppers) then spoon each in the pepper halves.  Lay them in the baking pan and lastly, add some shredded cheese using the rest of the cheese on top of each meat mound.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil then bake in 400° F oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Serve warm. 

Note:

The standard way of stuffing bell peppers is slicing the top off and stuffing them vertically.  I did it horizontally here because the bell peppers I had were small and if I had cut the top off, I would not have enough pepper to stuff the meat in so I opted to cut them lengthwise and I did not waste any peppers.