You know those “Mom” dishes that always make you think of being home for Sunday dinners?
Yeah. This isn’t one of those for me…but I know plenty of people who have Moms that made stuffed peppers for Sunday dinners! :)
This recipe is in my Weight Watchers cookbook…and like I said…I’m workin’ on my fitness. It’s surprisingly flavorful thanks to all the herbs and cheese. Ok, confession, I put way more than a 1/4 cup of cheese. Suck it, Points!! A girl needs somethin’!
Can I apologize for the lack of pictures? It’s hard to take an appetizing photo of a hunk of ground beef. Go ahead. You try. Send me the best one.
Okay, moving on to cooks notes: use fresh herbs. I don’t care how much they cost! Use ’em! It’s totally worth it! You’ll thank me. Also, don’t use green bell peppers. I know, they’re cheaper! But they’re also bitter tasting, and they don’t soften well. It just makes you not want to eat the healthiest part of the whole dish.
Enjoy!
Stuffed Peppers
Adapted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook
1/2lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey if you’re feelin’ it)
1c cooked white rice (I subbed brown rice! Fiber!)
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4c grated Parmesan cheese
2tbsp tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1tsp minced thyme
1tsp minced basil
1/2tsp minced sage
1/2tsp minced rosemary
4 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, tops cut off and seeded
1can tomato puree or tomato sauce
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine the beef, rice, onion, cheese, tomato paste, garlic, and herbs. Loosely stuff the bell peppers with the mixture – if you pack them too tightly, they won’t cook all the way through and make your life hell.
Stand the peppers in a baking dish or casserole. our the tomato puree over the peppers; add enough water to the dish so that the liquid comes about one-fourth the way up the sides of the peppers. Cover with foil and bake, basting occasionally with the juices, for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake until the peppers and rice are tender and the filling is completely cooked, about 20 minutes more. How will you know they’re cooked all the way through? You’ll cut one in half, that’s how. And it sucks. And that’s probably the one you’ll eat…
frijolita 