Sunday Make-Ahead Recipe: Stuffed Peppers

Hi there, Mrs. 1500 coming to you from a VERY soggy Northern Colorado. Our house is dry, and we are safe. The river has receded back into its banks, and we are extremely fortunate to have no damage. (We are building a porch on the front of our house, and have dug the post holes twice now. With the rain falling, we will have to dig them out once again as they fill up with water, and mud slides down into the bottom, adding depth that we must remove. Sigh. But we have a house that is dry, and that is worth digging a few more inches out of the post holes.)

Today’s recipe for stuffed peppers is one that I originally got from Mr. 1500’s mother, and tinkered with. I cook them in a slow cooker. I have a large one, so 6 fit in nicely. Your slow cooker may not be able to fit them all in, in which case you can cook them on the stove, but that requires more time paying attention to them.

Stuffed Peppers
6 Bell Peppers
10 oz. ground meat (I used turkey)
3 Italian Sausages (I used chicken)
1 TBSP dried Italian Seasoning
1 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp dried or fresh Basil
1/2 cup chopped arugula or spinach
1 small onion, chopped as fine as you like
1 tsp – 1 TBSP chopped garlic, depending on how much you like garlic
1 cup rice (I use instant)
1/2 – 1 jar pasta sauce
Parmesan cheese for serving

Cut tops off peppers and clean seeds out. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix meats, herbs, arugula or spinach, onion, garlic and rice. Stuff into peppers, filling completely. Add a little cap of stuffing if you have enough, depending on how large your peppers are. Pour a little sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker so they don’t stick to the bottom when they cook. Stand the peppers up in the bottom of the slow cooker, and cover with sauce. Cook on low for 4 -6 hours, until the meat is fully cooked. Remove the peppers and add a little more instant rice to the sauce if desired.

These freeze very well, or if you like stuffed peppers, eat them all week long. Another thing I like to do it take any vegetable I have in the refrigerator, chop it up and add it to the mix. Same basic taste every time, but I use up some of those veggies instead of tossing them.