Who’s too busy to cook? This quick and easy Stuffed Bell Peppers recipe is popular with my family. Be sure to select peppers that are flat on the bottom — they will stand up better while cooking. Fill it with ground meat, chicken sausage, or whatever your family craves!
- 6 large red bell peppers
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups chipped onions
- 6 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2/3 cup cooked white rice, cooled
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1-1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 2-1/2 cups canned tomato sauce
- 1-1/4 lbs. lean ground beef (or your choice of protein, for example, sausage meat)
- 1 large egg
Optional Panko Topping
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano (grated)
- 1/4 cup panko
Cut off the tops of the peppers, discard stem, and chop the tops.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, parsley, garlic and chopped pepper, and saute until onions soften. Transfer to a large boil.
Mix in rice, paprika, salt, pepper and allspice. Cool 10 minutes. Mix in 1/2 cup tomato sauce and egg.
Fill the pepper cavities with beef mixture.
For Panko topping, mix 1/4 cup olive oil with 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano and 1/4 cup olive oil. Set aside.
Two ways to cook:
Steam
Stand filled peppers in single layer heavy large pot. Pour remaining 2 cups tomato sauce around peppers. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer 20 minutes. Spoon some of the sauce over the peppers and cook until peppers are tender and filling is cooked through and firm, about 20 minutes.
Oven
Heat oven to 350. Stand filled peppers in large oven dish. Pour remaining 2 cups tomato sauce around peppers and place dish in oven. Bake until peppers are tender and filling is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
Topping
When cooked through, top each pepper with panko mixture and broil until panko is browned.
