Description
Alton Brown’s stuffed peppers blend hearty ground beef, rice, and robust seasonings in a classic comfort dish. Colorful bell peppers cradle a savory mixture that satisfies you with Mediterranean-inspired flavor profiles and simple cooking techniques.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 bell peppers
- 0.5 lb (226 g) lean ground beef
- 0.5 lb (226 g) Italian sausage
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 0.5 cup (85 g) white rice, uncooked
- 1 can (14.5 oz / 411 g) petite diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1.25 cups (296 ml) water
- 2.5 cups (600 ml) marinara sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 0.5 tsp Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 0.5 cup (57 g) mozzarella or cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
Instructions
- Preparation: Ignite the oven to 350°F and delicately coat a 9×13 inch baking vessel with culinary lubricant. Meticulously decapitate bell peppers, extracting stems for later use, and bisect lengthwise while purging seeds and internal membranes.
- Pepper Conditioning: Immerse pepper halves in vigorously boiling water for 3-4 minutes or air fry at 400°F to achieve optimal tenderness. Thoroughly drain and pat dry with absorbent cloths.
- Protein Foundation: In a robust skillet over medium-high thermal intensity, amalgamate Italian sausage, ground beef, aromatic onions, and pungent garlic. Deconstruct meat into diminutive fragments while orchestrating a uniform browning process.
- Flavor Integration: Incorporate uncooked rice, liquid, chopped pepper stems, Worcestershire essence, Italian seasonings, tomato segments, salinity, and pepper into the meat blend. Reduce thermal exposure, seal skillet, and allow gentle simmering for 15-20 minutes, periodically stirring and hydrating as necessary.
- Marinara Infusion: Integrate marinara sauce into the rice-meat symphony, then lavishly distribute initial marinara layer across baking vessel’s base. Position pepper vessels strategically, cut-side elevated.
- Filling Deployment: Generously populate each pepper cavity with the sumptuous rice-meat amalgamation, ensuring comprehensive coverage and balanced distribution.
- Culinary Transformation: Cascade remaining marinara over stuffed peppers, envelop with aluminum shield, and dispatch into preheated oven for 35 minutes. Unveil, adorn with cascading cheese, and return for an additional 10 minutes until cheese achieves molten, effervescent perfection.
Notes
- Blanching Tip: Quickly boil pepper halves to soften texture and reduce baking time, ensuring tender yet crisp peppers.
- Meat Drainage: Always drain excess fat after browning meat to prevent greasy, heavy filling and maintain a lighter dish.
- Rice Moisture Management: Monitor rice moisture during simmering, adding water if needed to prevent dryness and ensure perfect rice consistency.
- Cheese Melting Technique: Uncover dish for final 10 minutes to allow cheese to melt completely and develop a golden, appetizing surface.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 890 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg