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I hear all the time, “I wish I could cook like you do, but I just don’t have the time”.  My response is always the same, “I am not a gourmet cook and the things I cook for my family are EASY and healthy, I promise!”.  This week is crazy busy with football games, lacrosse practices, carpools, tutoring, husband out of town, broken drain the in front yard, two bat shit crazy dogs, dentist appointment, haircuts for the boys, a stupid pumpkin project due for history (really??), trying to get some sort of workout in….. a normal week, right? So, trust me when I say I get it that it is HARD to get a homemade dinner on the table. So, if you are new the cooking task then start small.  Plan on cooking ONE night this week.  Try a recipe on my blog that you think sounds good and give it a try.  I promise, promise none of my recipes are complicated, unless I state that on the recipe.  But, seriously I am a very lazy cook so not many of my recipes are hard.

This recipe is a family favorite, please keep in mind my kids never eat the peppers, but I pray someday they will, baby steps.  This is quick and easy and left overs save for the next day for lunch if you want.  When I made this dish it took me a grand total of 12 minutes of hands on time.  You can stuff the peppers ahead of time and leave them in the fridge until you are ready to bake them.
Send me your thoughts!! Enjoy!
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Stuffed Bell Peppers

A traditional Italian dish that is easy enough for a weeknight meal. Use ground turey or chicken for a leaner main course.

Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Ground beef or ground turkey
  • 3-4 Green bell peppers
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 Onion, chopped
  • 2 Garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup Cooked rice, any type-long grain, brown, white
  • 2 cups Pasta sauce
  • 1-2 cups Mozzarella, shredded

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°

  2. Cut the tops of the peppers off.  Remove stems and seeds from inside of peppers and discard. Cut in half if you want to serve more people

  3. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.  Add beef, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Cook meat until browned.  Add onions and garlic and cook until softened.

  4. Add 1 cup pasta sauce, 1 cup of cheese and rice.  Heat through until cheese is melted. 

  5. Spread remaining cup of pasta sauce in bottom of baking dish.  Fill peppers with beef mixture and place on top of sauce in dish.  

  6. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes or until peppers are soft. Remove foil and top peppers with more cheese.  Place back in oven, uncovered, for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

  7. Serve with more sauce if desired.

Recipe Notes

I cut the peppers in half and filled the halves, but you can serve the entire pepper if you have a hungry crowd.  

Add additional ingredients such as corn, carrots, chopped tomatoes to beef mixture before stuffing peppers.