Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers Plus A Meatloaf Food

THE BEST STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• If your peppers don't sit upright on your cutting board, trim about 1/8-inch off the bottoms to even them out so they can stand without falling over. Cut the top off each pepper about 1/2-inch down. Remove and discard the stems, then finely chop the remaining flesh from the tops. Scoop out the seeds and as much of the membranes as you can. Place the peppers in a large microwave-safe bowl with 1/2 cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high power for 12 minutes. Carefully uncover and let them sit until ready to assemble.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spread the beef in an even layer and cook undisturbed until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, breaking up any clumps with the back of a spoon and scraping up any browned bits from the pan until the meat is lightly browned all over, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the browned meat to a large bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and add the reserved chopped peppers, onions, garlic, thyme, 4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until falling apart and much of the liquid has evaporated, about 7 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly until brick red colored, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine and cook until the mixture is reduced, very thick and no smell of alcohol remains, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Transfer to the bowl with the beef. Stir in the rice until completely combined. (The mixture will be wet.) Season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Place the peppers cut-side up in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Spoon the filling into the peppers, gently pressing it in with the back of a spoon. Be careful not to overstuff and split the sides of the peppers. Bake for 15 minutes. Then top with the cheese and continue baking until the filling is heated through and the cheese is browned in spots, 10 to 12 minutes.

ITALIAN STUFFED BELL PEPPERS --PLUS A MEATLOAF

Steps:

• For the Meatloaf, combine all of the ingredients and mix well (I use my hand for this).
• If you are making JUST the MEATLOAF, form it in a 9x13 greased pan and bake 400 degrees for 1 hour, basting with the pan juices.
• For the MEATLOAF, combine the MEATLOAF SAUCE ingredients in a saucepan, and heat on the stove to serve warm over the Meatloaf slices at the table.
• If you are making the ITALIAN STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS you will also get a meatloaf out of this.
• For the ITALIAN STUFFED PEPPERS cut the tops off the peppers and clean them out.
• Cut the tops up to use for the sauce.
• Put these in a pan with a little olive oil along with the onions, and garlic--simmer till done.
• Add the tomato sauce and simmer while you are preparing the stuffing for the peppers.
• Cook the rice according to box directions.
• Also, cut a tad off the bottom of the peppers so that they will sit in the pan and not tilt (don't cut through to the inside).
• Mix 3-4 cups of the Meatloaf recipe mixture, Parmesan cheese, garlic, a little of the sauce, and the cooked rice in a large bowl--adding the rice till it looks like the amount you like (I eyeball most all of the ingredients).
• Stuff the peppers and place in a pan on which you have already put a layer of sauce.
• Put some sauce over the tops of the peppers.
• Cover with foil.
• Form the rest of the mixture into a loaf as directed above.
• Bake both at 400 degrees for about 1 hour or till done.
• Now you have 2 meals--freeze some if you like.

STUFFED ITALIAN MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Thoroughly mix beef, pasta sauce, bread crumbs, onion, ketchup, egg, garlic, oregano, salt, and ground black pepper together using your hands in a large bowl.
• Spread 1/2 the meat mixture into the bottom of a loaf pan. Spread mozzarella cheese over the center of the meat. Spread remaining meat mixture over the cheese, pressing edges of meat together on the sides to seal in the cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until meat is no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

ITALIAN STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together the cooked rice and the raw ground beef.
• Add the egg, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to your taste, and mix very well.(I find it's best to mix it with your hands like meatloaf.).
• Prepare the peppers by cutting them in half from top to bottom like an apple, so you have two identical halves. Take off the stem and remove the seeds.
• Fill the pepper halves equally with the rice mixture. Set them down in a 13x9" baking pan that you have put a little of the sauce on the bottom of first.
• Generously spoon sauce over the stuffed top of each pepper and then pour the remaining sauce around the peppers in the pan.
• Sprinkle the top with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
• Bake at 350°F until the peppers are very soft and tender when tested with a knife.(depending on your oven maybe an hour or so; mine takes longer because my oven is ancient:).
• Spoon the sauce over the peppers at least three or four times while they are cooking. The sauce will thicken slightly as you bake the peppers and get delicious and rich.
• Enjoy!

ITALIAN STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Bring 1 1/2 cups of the water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, brown ground sirloin and Italian seasoning.
• Once meat is browned, add in chopped zucchini, 1 cup of spaghetti sauce, 1 cup of cheese, and the cooked rice. Stir well.
• Clean and cut peppers in half, removing seeds. Place into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
• Spoon the meat mixture into peppers.
• Top with the remaining 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce and 1/2 cup cheese.
• Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the dish, cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes.

ITALIAN STUFFED MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine in large bowl: sirloin/turkey, egg, tomato juice, salt and pepper, garlic, oregano, onion.
• Put 1/2 mixture in 9x5x3 loaf pan coated with cooking spray. (I could only find 11x5x3 sorry!).
• Layer on Cheese, Spinach, Peppers.
• Cover with remaining meat mixture.
• Bake for 1 hr, until meatloaf is done.
• cool to room temp, wrap, freeze up to 3 months.
• remove from freezer, thaw.
• bake at 350 degrees for abt 20-30 min until heated through.
• OR, slice and re heat in microwave.
• can top with a bit of spaghetti sauce if desired.
• comes with frozen italian green beans and/or ww pasta :).

ITALIAN-STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a roasting pan (large enough to accommodate 8 pepper halves in a single layer) with cooking spray.
• Combine the ground sirloin, Italian sausage, brown rice, Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, garlic, Parmesan cheese, egg, and 1/2 cup Classico® Tomato & Basil sauce in a large bowl. Mix until combined.
• Divide meat mixture evenly among the green pepper halves; press to compress slightly. Arrange halves in prepared pan. Spoon the remaining Classico® Tomato & Basil sauce onto the tops of the meat and peppers. Cover tightly with foil.
• Bake until the peppers are soft and internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove from oven. Remove foil and top each pepper with shredded cheese.
• Turn oven to broil. Place peppers, uncovered under the broiler. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.