Okay, so I tackled those stuffed peppers today. Been meaning to try a simpler version because sometimes recipes get way too complicated, you know? This was supposed to be quick and easy, and honestly, it pretty much was.
Getting Things Ready
First off, I grabbed the bell peppers. Had a mix of red and green ones sitting in the fridge, looked fine to me. Cut ’em in half lengthwise, right down the middle. Then I scooped out all the seeds and the white stuff inside. Just used a spoon, nothing fancy. Got ’em all cleaned out and set aside.
For the filling, I decided to use ground beef. Had about a pound thawing out. I browned that up in a skillet over medium heat. While it was cooking, I chopped up half an onion and maybe two cloves of garlic. Didn’t need a ton. Once the beef was browned, I drained off most of the fat. Left a little in for flavor, though.
Making the Filling
Tossed the chopped onion into the skillet with the beef. Let that cook for a few minutes until the onion got kinda soft. Then threw in the garlic for like, another minute. Just until you could smell it.
Next, I dumped in a can of diced tomatoes – didn’t even drain ’em. Added about a cup of cooked rice. It was leftover from dinner the other night, perfect for this. Saves time not having to cook rice from scratch, right? That’s the ‘quick’ part working out.
Seasoning was simple. Salt, pepper, maybe a teaspoon of dried oregano or Italian seasoning, whatever you’ve got. Stirred it all together really well. Gave it a little taste to make sure the seasoning was right. Needed a bit more salt. Always gotta taste as you go.
Stuffing and Baking
Alright, filling’s done. Took those pepper halves I prepped earlier and started spooning the beef and rice mixture into them. Packed it in there pretty good, you don’t want flimsy stuffed peppers.
Lined them up in a baking dish. I like to add just a little bit of water to the bottom of the dish, maybe half an inch? Helps the peppers steam and get tender without burning on the bottom. Covered the dish loosely with foil.
Popped it into the oven. Had it preheated to around 375°F (that’s about 190°C). Let them bake for maybe 30 minutes with the foil on. Then I took the foil off. At this point, I sprinkled some shredded cheese on top. Had some cheddar, so that’s what I used. Put ’em back in the oven, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes. Just long enough for the peppers to get fully tender – you can poke ’em with a fork to check – and for the cheese to melt and get a little bubbly.
All Done
Pulled them out, let them cool for a minute or two. And that was basically it. Served ’em up. They held together well, filling was tasty, peppers were soft. Clean-up wasn’t bad either, mostly just the skillet and the baking dish.
So yeah, quick and easy? I’d say so. Didn’t take forever, used simple stuff, and tasted pretty darn good. A solid weeknight meal if you ask me.
