Meat Stuffed Peppers

There are many choices when it comes to making the filling for stuffed peppers. This one started with a recipe I had seen titled Spinach and Meat Stuffed Peppers. I had extra celery on hand and no spinach, so I made the recipe as follows:

Dig in!

Ingredients - 2 to 3 servings

1 cup low-sugar tomato sauce

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 – 2 garlic cloves, minced and divided

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

½ medium onion, chopped

½ lb. combination ground turkey and ground sausage turkey - I used mostly ground turkey with a few tablespoons of ground turkey sausage

½ to ¾ cup celery, chopped

⅓ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated and divided

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped 

2 large bell peppers; red, orange, yellow, or green - this makes plenty of filling, so the larger the peppers, the better

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray baking pan with nonstick spray. Cut peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Drizzle 2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil inside peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat tomato sauce, parsley, red pepper flakes, and ⅓ of garlic in saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.

Ready to fill the peppers

Cook onion, celery, and remaining minced garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil stirring often, until onions turn golden—2 to 3 minutes. Add ground meats; cook stirring often until all pink is gone—6 to 8 minutes. 

Ready to be covered with foil or a lid for the oven

Stir in ¼ cup cheese, basil, and tomato sauce. Spoon meat mixture into prepared peppers and place on baking dish. 

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over peppers. Bake 10 minutes more. Next time, I plan to increase the temperature to 375° before returning peppers to the oven, so the cheese will crisp sightly. Remove and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Please share your recipe variations!