Go Stuff Yourself

I FINALLY have my computer back from the hospital.  She and I have been spending some time getting reacquainted.  I’ve got LOTS of new recipes to share with you, so let’s get started with one of my most FAVORITES.  Honestly, I could eat this one EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT and that’s seriously no joke.  I love stuffed peppers, but they’ve never been my favorite.  I’ve tried them with ground beef, salsa, taco seasoning, you name it.  They’ve just been sorta “meh”…until I found this recipe.  Now I can’t get enough.  And the fact that they’re healthy is an added bonus!!!  If you’re looking for the *perfect* stuffed pepper recipe, look no further my friends!  I swear this one is it!!! 

 

ITALIAN STUFFED PEPPERS

adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Brown rice {I used 1 boil-in-a-bag because I can’t cook rice to save my life…white rice would work, too}

4 large green peppers

1 large onion, diced

2 tsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil

2-4 links Italian Turkey Sausage {I’m pretty sure I used about 3ish links for this recipe…you could use regular Italian sausage if you prefer}

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt & pepper, to taste

Shredded mozzarella cheese

 

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Thankfully, this stuffed pepper recipe isn’t one that requires you to boil your peppers before cooking.  LOVE IT.  However, you’ll need to do a little prep work.  First, cut off the bottoms of your peppers so that they sit flat in your baking dish.  I used an 8x8 because they fit all nice and snug inside.

Then cut off the caps {set those aside} and shell out the innards until they’re nice and pretty.

  

Remember when I told you to set the caps aside?!  Well, I hope you listened.  You’ll wanna chop those up to use as part of the stuffing.  Don’t forget to dice the onion while you’re at it.

  

Now go ahead and heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet.  Toss in the diced pepper and onion and saute for about 3-4 minutes. 

Now remove the pepper and onion and set aside in a bowl.  Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the skillet and brown the sausage.  Like I said before, I’m pretty sure I used about 3 links for this recipe.  I like my stuffing a little meatier, so that was the perfect number for me.  Once the sausage is browned, add the peppers and onion back to the skillet and then toss in the oregano and mix well.  Saute for about 2-3 minutes so that the flavors have a little time to blend.

Then add the cooked rice, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese and mix well.  Saute for another 2 minutes. 

Now it’s time to stuff.  Take that amazingly delicious mixture and spoon it…very generously…into your hollowed out peppers.  Use your spoon to make sure the stuffing is nice and compact inside the peppers.  Fit as much in as you can :)  Trust me on that.

 

Ohmiword.  I’m salivating as I type.  For real.  That stuffing is what dreams are made of.  I could eat it all by itself.  In a dish.  With a fish.  You get my point.  Now toss it in the oven and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.  Remove peppers from oven and top ‘em with shredded mozzarella.  Use as much…or as little…as you wish.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

 

Shut the front door.  These are outta-this-world AMAZING.  True story.

I’m not kidding when I say I could eat these every night.  Not sure Mr. Spouse would enjoy the repetition…after all, men do like variety…so I try to fit this in at least once a week or every other week.  I *might* be obsessed.  Usually, Mr. Spouse and I can only eat 1 serving for dinner.  They’re quite filling.  I like to refrigerate the other two and eat them as leftovers for lunch for the following two days.  They heat up extraordinarily well!!  You can freeze these for about a month or two, but the peppers will be a little softer in texture.  Food doesn’t make it long enough to see the freezer in my house.  Especially these.  Do your tastebuds a favor and whip these up as soon as you can!!  Now what are you waiting for?!?!  Go stuff yourself already!!!!