stuffed red bell peppers

I have bell peppers coming out of the wazzoo.  I needed a recipe that will allow me to utilize all the bell peppers taking up real estate in my fridge.  Unfortunately, most recipes call for a minimal amount of peppers, so the only option I found was to make stuffed bell peppers.  I actually made this recipe a few weeks ago when the peppers first went on sale and loved it.  My greed got the better of me and I ended up purchasing even more peppers (come on, THREE extra large red bell peppers for $1?!?  How can anyone resist?) I decided to make them again and WOW  they were even better this time around.  I would say these rival my cabbage rolls (a recipe I have been meaning to put up but have been too lazy to fix/modify for the this blog...it's complicated, folks!).  I sliced my red bell peppers along the length because it is easier and wastes less pepper.  Anyway, give this a try and tell me what you think.

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Serves:  6-8

6-8 large red or green bell peppers (red bell peppers will impart a sweeter taste)

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 ½ lbs lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp Kosher salt, plus additional for sprinkling inside peppers (about 1/2 tsp)

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 diced Roma tomatoes or 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup uncooked rice

1/2 cup water

3 small cubes beef bouillon

2 cups shredded Italian-style five cheese Blend

1 jar pasta sauce (I used Muir Glen's Organic Italian Herb pasta sauce, 26 oz jar)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the peppers in half along the length and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes; drain. Sprinkle salt inside each pepper, and set aside.

3.  In a large skillet, saute beef for about 3 minutes.  Add onions, garlic, and green bell peppers cooking until meat is browned.  Add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, 1/2 cup water, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 of the jarred pasta sauce. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender and most of water has evaporated. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese.

4.  Stuff each pepper with the beef and rice mixture and place peppers open side up in a baking dish.

5.  Spoon the remaining pasta sauce over each pepper and bake covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Notes:
I used about 4 fresh Romas instead of canned tomatoes, therefore the salt used was perfect.  However, you might consider going easy on salt by 1/2 tsp if you are using canned tomatoes.  Also, please keep in mind that Kosher salt is not as salty as regular table salt.