Mac And Cheese Stuffed Peppers Food

JACK-O'-LANTERN STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the macaroni to al dente according to the package instructions. Drain and hold until the meat mixture is ready.
• In a cast-iron pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat until translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 minute. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper and cook until starting to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream and cook until the mixture is reduced, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the cheese and stir until well incorporated. Stir in the cooked macaroni and season with salt and pepper.
• Cut each pepper around the stem and remove to create a lid. Remove the seeds and, if the peppers do not sit flat, trim the bottoms slightly; just be careful not to cut a hole in the bottom of the peppers. Using the tip of a small serrated knife, cut a face like a jack-o'-lantern into the side of each pepper.
• Fill the peppers with the beef mixture and put on a baking sheet with the lids on the side. Bake until the peppers are fork-tender, about 30 minutes.

MAC-O-LANTERN AND CHEESE BOWLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
• Cut the tops off the peppers and reserve. Remove the seeds and membranes. Put the peppers and the tops in the boiling water and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Plunge the peppers into the ice bath. Once cool, remove them and use a sharp knife to carve a jack-o-lantern face into one side of each pepper.
• Return the water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain (don't rinse the pasta).
• Heat the half-and-half in a large saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Continue simmering until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the Cheddar until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Off the heat, add the macaroni to the saucepan and stir to combine. Stir in some of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if needed. Season with salt if needed. Let sit for 10 minutes, then divide the mac and cheese among the peppers and cap each with a pepper top.

PASTA STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water, then set aside.
• Cut the tops off the peppers. Remove and discard the stems, then finely chop the pepper flesh from the tops and set aside. Scoop out the seeds and as much of the membrane as you can. Place the peppers upright in a baking dish just large enough to accommodate them.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and diced pepper tops. Cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Italian sausage, crumbling it as you go, and stir until it is cooked and nicely browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the marinara sauce and black pepper, then remove the skillet from the heat. Fold in the ricotta, half of the shredded mozzarella and the reserved pasta. Stir until well combined. Divide the mixture among the prepared peppers. Top the peppers with the remaining mozzarella and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the peppers are soft and the cheese is bubbly, another 15 minutes.
• Serve garnished with fresh basil.

MAC & CHEESE STUFFED POBLANOS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Prepare Dinners as directed on package. Stir in wieners and 1 cup shredded cheese.
• Fill chiles with Dinner mixture; place, filled-sides up, in single layer in shallow baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Top with remaining shredded cheese and paprika.
• Bake 15 min. or until cheese is melted and peppers are heated through.