Old Fashioned Stuffed Peppers

Although I already have a great stuffed pepper recipe in Fool a Carnivore (check out Baked Bell Peppers Stuffed with Sausage and Spinach at pp. 69-70), I had a hankering for the more traditional kind of stuffed pepper I remember from childhood.

I conferred with Bill and he remembered that rice, ground meat, tomatoes, and cheese were the dominant flavors.  When I found some gargantuan yellow peppers for a buck apiece at the farmers market, I knew I had a date with destiny with these apocryphal stuffed peppers.

This will be one of my recipes in my next e-book, but I thought I would share it with you now so you can take advantage of the late summer bounty of gorgeous bell peppers.

Nancy Olah

Old Fashioned Stuffed Peppers

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Servings: 3

Course: Vegetable

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 3 enormous red yellow, or orange stuffed peppers, tops cut off, core and seeds removed
• ½ cup Jasmine white rice
• 1-2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• ½ large Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped fine
• 8 ounces Westsoy Ground Seitan broken into small pieces
• 1 clove garlic pressed
• 1 ¼ cups diced tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable stock
• 1-2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 5-6 stems of thyme leaves removed
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Sea salt
• 5-6 ounces sharp white cheddar grated (New Zealand cheddar is wonderful in this dish!)
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons tomato juice or V-8

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 Tablespoon of salt. Put the upright peppers in a steamer insert and steam them in the boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Remove and let cool. Drain any water that has accumulated in the bottom of the pepper shells.
3. Lightly grease a large casserole dish with non-stick spray and put the cooled upright peppers in the dish.
4. While the peppers are cooking, begin making the rice. Although I usually like brown rice, white rice gives me the kind of textural feel a remember from childhood. Rinse the rice and put it in a pan, along with 1 1/3 cups of boiling water and little sea salt. Let the rice cook until it is tender – about 18-20 minutes.
5. While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan and add the onion. After about 5-6 minutes, add the Westsoy Ground, and any liquid in the package. Cook for about 2-3 minutes and then add the pressed garlic and cook for another minute or two. Let it set until the rice is ready.
6. When the rice is fully cooked, add the rice, diced tomatoes, the stock, the parsley and thyme, salt and pepper, and about 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
7. Carefully stuff the pepper shells with this mixture.
8. Mix together the ketchup and the tomato juice or V-8. Spoon a little of the tomato mixture over the top of each pepper and a add a tablespoon or so of grated cheese.
9. Pop the stuffed peppers in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
10. Serves 3 (with enormous appetites) or 6 if you slice each pepper in half either after it has been lightly steamed in step 2 or after it has fully cooked once it has baked.

Notes

© 2014, Nancy Olah. All Rights Reserved.