Stovetop Stuffed Peppers 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.

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut the tops off the peppers. Remove and discard the stems, then finely chop the tops; set aside. Scoop out the seeds and as much of the membrane as you can. Place the peppers cut-side up in a baking dish just large enough to hold them upright.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper and cook, breaking up the lumps, until the meat is cooked through and just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of the fat.
• Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onions and chopped peppers and cook until beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and zucchini and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and a pinch or 2 of red pepper flakes. Cook until everything is heated through, then stir in the beef and rice. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese.
• Fill the peppers with the rice mixture and top each with a sprinkle of the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Pour a small amount of water into the bottom of the baking dish and drizzle the peppers with a little olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted and lightly browned, another 15 to 20 minutes.

STUFFED PEPPERS ON STOVE TOP

Steps:

• First boil water in a large pot because we will be cooking our peppers for a few minutes before filling them. I'm using 2 red and 2 green bell peppers. I like to cut them in half lengthwise and fill them, they cook faster this way. Take all the seeds and pith out. Leaving the stem on is pretty for presentation. Put the peppers in boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside
• Next, we'll make a quick tomato sauce. Heat up a pan and pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp Italian seasoning, crush it in your hands, ¼ tsp red chili flakes for a little heat, mix this just for a few seconds. Add 2 cups of tomato sauce. Add ¼ tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar. Bring this to a boil and let it simmer, just for 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt or sugar if necessary. Turn the heat off and set it aside.
• Now we'll cook the meat. Heat up a pan and add 3 tablespoons olive oil. I'm adding 1.5 cups of chopped onion and 5 large garlic cloves or 2 tablespoons. A little salt. Sautee this until golden brown. Add ½ tsp dried oregano, crush it in your palms, ½ tsp dried thyme leaves, 1 tsp paprika, Stir that for a few seconds. Add ¼ tsp of red chili flakes. Add the meat, I'm using 1 pound of ground turkey. You can use chicken or any other ground meat you'd like. ½ tsp salt. Mix this really well and let it cook. Make sure to break up the meat once in a while. While the meat is cooking, I'm grating 1 large potato peeled. 1.5 cups of grated potatoes. Once the meat is cooked, add the potatoes, ½ tsp salt and a pinch or two of chili flakes. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Adjust the salt according to your taste. After 5 minutes, pour in 1 cup of the sauce and ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese. Turn off the heat and mix well.
• Get a large pan that will fit all of the peppers. Pour in ½ cup of the remaining sauce and a few tablespoons of water. That should cover the bottom of the pan. Put the peppers in. Stuff each pepper with the meat mixture. Turn the heat on. Pour the remaining half cup of sauce over the peppers. You'll start to hear the peppers pop a little, the liquid on the bottom of the pan has started boiling, turn down the heat to medium low, put a cover on and cook for about 30 minutes. Check after 15 minutes and adjust the heat if you need to. After 30 minutes, check the filling, the potatoes should be cooked. The peppers will be tender but not completely falling apart. You can cook this longer or shorter depending on how firm you like the peppers. You can add more parmesan on top before serving. If you want to add shredded cheese like cheddar or mozzarella, you can do that and put the cover on just to melt the cheese.

STOVE TOP STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Cut off the stem ends of the peppers and remove the seeds.
• Mix the remaining ingredients, except for the parsley.
• Fill the peppers with the meat mixture.
• Place them in a deep kettle with about 1 inch of water.
• Cover and simmer, adding a little more water if necessary, for 45 minutes, or until the meat is done.
• Garnish with sprigs of parsley.

SAUCY STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Wash the peppers thoroughly. Make a circular incision around the stem to remove it. Once stem has been removed, remove seeds, and rinse the inside of the pepper. Discard seeds and stems and set peppers aside.
• In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and saute onion until translucent.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the onion and butter mixture with the ground beef and mix well by hand. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste. Slowly pour in the rice, while mixing by hand. Mix thoroughly.
• Stuff the meat and rice mixture into the peppers. Coat the bottom of 1 or 2 large pots with oil. Place the stuffed peppers into the pot(s) leaving a 2 inch space at the top of the pot. Pour in tomato juice until peppers are covered. If there is leftover meat mixture, form into balls and add to the tomato juice.
• Heat on low for 2 to 3 hours. Stir every 20 to 45 minutes. Juice will reduce to a thick sauce. You can tell that the peppers are done when they are splitting at the sides.

BAKED STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Chop enough reserved green pepper tops to equal 1/4 cup; discard remaining tops or use for another purpose. Set chopped pepper aside.
• Place hollowed-out green peppers in a microwave-safe dish; cover and cook in microwave until bright green and steaming, about 3 minutes. Set peppers aside.
• Cook and stir ground beef in a skillet with reserved chopped pepper tops and onion over medium heat until beef is browned, the juices run clear, and the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes; drain excess grease. Pour in diced tomatoes with their juice, rice, water, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover skillet, and simmer until rice is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stir cheese into ground beef-rice mixture and spoon mixture into precooked peppers. Set peppers upright in an 8x8-inch baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and the peppers are tender, about 30 minutes.