Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
The Sweet and Mild Italian Stuffed Bell Pepper Dish Perfect for Dinner!
Pepper is a scary word. Hot pepper, jalapeno pepper, chipotle pepper...all hot and spicy. Don't let the bell pepper deceive you; it's mild, not hot at all, can be sweet, and full of fresh garden flavor.
This vegetable can be used various in dishes from pizza to stuffing, tuna salad to veggie dip, and has a number of different varities that all taste slightly different. Whichever type of pepper you use, they'll all make an excellent Italian stuffed bell pepper, but green and red are the most popular. Read on to find the ingredients and directions for this tasty recipe!
Buy your bell peppers local for the freshest flavor and to support the farming community near you!
Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers
How to make the classic stuffing filled bell peppers!
Stuffed Peppers are incredibly easy, and you can fill them with a number of different fillings to change it up. Some people prefer ground sirloin and cheese, while some use risotto or rice. This version uses spiced stuffing, which goes great with Italian dishes.
Ingredients for Stuffed Peppers
* 4 whole bell peppers, washed
* 4-6 celery stalks, cleaned and sliced into small pieces
* 1 can diced Italian style tomatoes, or two whole fresh tomatoes diced
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or 1/2 tablespoon fresh minced garlic (add the fresh version in with the veggie mixture below)
* 2 tbsp. olive oil
* 1/4 cup water
* 1/2 cup fresh sliced white mushrooms (optional)
* 1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare the stuffing by placing the olive oil, water, celery and mushrooms in a pan and cook to a boil. Add more water if the veggies absorb the water. Drain the canned diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes). Remove as much water as possible. Heat the tomatoes with the mixture for 5 minutes on low to soften the tomatoes.
2. While the water is boiling, cut the top of the bell pepper off (just the very top) once cleaned. Hollow the inside of the pepper, remove any seeds, and try to remove as much of the white pulp on the inside. Rinse the pepper and turn upside down to get the water to drain out.
3. Once the water has boiled, add the spices to the mixture and simmer for 30 seconds to let the spices rehydrate.
4. Add the dry stuffing mix to the water remove from the heat. Fluff the stuffing with a fork. If the stuffing is too dry, add extra water a few tablespoons at a time. Use less water for crispy stuffing, more for a wetter stuffing consistency.
5. Add the stuffing to the hollowed peppers. Fill completely. Add shredded mozarella or fresh mozarella, along with your favorite red tomato sauce if desired, or just make them plain.
6. Place the peppers in a glass pan and heat in the oven for 15-20 minutes, just make sure the peppers are slightly soft when they come out of the oven. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Some people use a bed of risotto to make this dish a full meal, or just serve it as an appetizer.
Stuffed pepper picture by scorps1027 on Flickr.
Are bell peppers better stuffed with risotto or bread stuffing?
The Ideal Saucepan to Use for Cooking the Ingredients - Cook your stuffed pepper filling in this Calphalon cookware
Calphalon makes an incredibly durable piece of cookware that really holds up! One of the best parts is that it heats evenly, so it won't burn parts of the food. The anodized coating also ensures safely that nothing will be stuck to the bottom of the pan, and can be easily cleaned. I've never had food stick to these pans, they're perfect.
Woops! Bell peppers aren't vegetables!
Bell peppers are technically fruit. But don't worry, everyone still uses them just like vegetables (and they taste like a veggie, too).
- Stuffed Pepper Recipe
This version uses ground beef and white rice, along with a little worcestershire sauce. - Stuffed Peppers with White Wine Risotto
Spice up your risotto with a little white wine flavor in these delicious stuffed peppers! - Sausage and Peppers
For a healthier alternative to sausage, try turkey sausage in this classic! - Crab Cakes with Red Bell Pepper
Crab cakes taste a hundred times better with red bell pepper. They were meant for each other. - Chicken Bell Pepper Stir Fry
Peppers really change the taste and add flavor to anything it's cooked with, like the chicken in this recipe! - Pepper Stir Fry
Lower LDL cholesterol, and boost the good HDH cholesterol with this healthy stir fry pepper recipe!
What's your favorite variety of bell pepper?
How to Prepare Bell Peppers
Easy instructions on how to prepare this tasty pepper!
Are you looking to do something else with your peppers? Use these tips to prepare some fresh peppers!
- Thoroughly wash the bell pepper with fruit and vegetable wash using a vegetable scrub brush.
- After cleaning, pierce the top of the pepper around the stem. Make an incision around the entire stem and remove the knife.
- Pull up on the stem to remove the entire middle of the bell pepper. This should remove much of the pulpy interior and seeds.
- To remove the rest of the interior, give the inside of the bell pepper a quick rinse to get rid of the seeds. If additional seeds remain, cut them out with a sharp knife.
- Next, cut the pepper in half lengthwise. Halve each half again lengthwise. Cut the thin white strips of pulp off of each quarter.
- Cut each quarter lenghwise into thin strips. They're now ready to serve, or to dice up!
Picture by René Ehrhardt
You can't get much better than stuffed peppers.
Why is buying locally grown produce greener?
It's greener to buy from local farms, produce roadside stands and locally grown grocery store produce. Less transit time to get to to you means less energy wasted, and a quicker turnaround time (fresher veggies!). Those tomatoes from Argentina? Not as green as the ones from down the street.
Cut up your Vegetables Quicker! - Get the perfect knife to cut up your bell peppers and favorite veggies!
Peppers in the garden: green bell peppers growing on the vine.
Bell Pepper Products
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Tips to make your life a little greener by the day! - Reusable Bags
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Sources
Stuffed Pepper Picture by wharman on Flickr.
Pepper intro picture by SqueakyMarmot
Green Bell Pepper picture by Jasmine&Roses on Flickr.
Local produce picture of bell peppers by chascar on Flickr.
Red and green bell pepper picture on the right by ♥Sage... busy again... on Flickr
