There is almost nothing better than the aroma of roasting, stuffed bell peppers in any kitchen.

The taste isn't all that bad, either. This recipe for gourmet stuffed bell peppers, created for you by professional restaurant chef and manager, Chef Dave, is so good, you'll be salivating for leftovers at your next meal. It always happens that way for us.

Making these is not all that hard. You can use ground beef or other ground meat (or a combination) instead of the called for turkey. In other words, this stuffed bell pepper recipe is versatile as well as tasty.

And, you know something? It is just as good when you substitute salsa for the tomato sauce and miraculously turn it into Mexican stuffed bell peppers. Use cumin, coriander and chili powder to replace the Italian seasonings. Coat the top with chopped cilantro instead of Italian parsley.

Dave prefers the red (ripe) peppers to the green, but that is just because they're sweeter. The green ones have a wonderful taste that is more “peppery”. Even try a mixture of red, yellow and orange or purple peppers. This is a "festive" dish we're talking about here.

Traditional recipes for stuffed bell peppers usually call for the peppers to be stuffed with seasoned beef, then baked open end down in a "sea" of tomato sauce. They are wonderful this way, also. The key is the meat seasoning ingredients and the tomato sauce. So try them this way if you want a more traditional presentation.

You can slice the peppers length-wise, removing the stem and seeds, then stuff "half" peppers if you desire smaller portions. Either way, this is one of Dave's favorite entrees. It can serve as the whole meal, even, it does have all of the food groups for a balanced offering. 

To make this a true gourmet offering, add 1/4 cup of homemade pesto to the stuffing. Heck, if you have some fresh homemade pesto in your fridge like Chef Dave suggests, add some to your homemade tomato sauce as well! You are a gourmet now that you've made the excellent choice to visit the recipes here on New Italian Recipes web site. As Emeril says, "kick it up a notch!"

 

New Italian Recipes Presents:
Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients
3 T chicken broth
6 large, well proportioned green or red bell peppers, or any color combination
1 lb. ground turkey, browned in a pan. (ground beef, pork or lamb is fine, or a combination)
1 medium to large onion, chopped
3-4 T thinly sliced garlic cloves
1 cup plain cooked rice (any type of long grain rice works well)
3 T brown sugar
1/4 cup dry red wine. Mediera or Marsala wine can be good here for a little variation
1/4 cup cider or red wine vinegar
1 T. dried thyme
1 T dried oregano
Dash of Tabasco
Salt and freshly ground black or mixed pepper to your personal taste
About 1 quart of homemade tomato sauce
(optional) Add some homemade pesto to the mixture for a true gourmet treat

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh basil

Preparation:
Slice stems and tops off green peppers. Remove seeds and white membranes. Rinse and set aside to dry. (Or, for smaller portions, slice peppers lengthwise and remove the stems, membranes and seeds).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place onion and garlic in a non-stick skillet with broth. Sauté over low heat until tender.

Add browned ground turkey.

Mix in cooked rice, brown sugar, vinegar, all spices, and about 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce.

Stuff peppers with the meat mixture.

Place upright in a 2-quart casserole dish that has been coated with cooking spray.

Place any remaining mixture around the peppers in the dish.

Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers.

Bake for 1 hour, then remove from the oven and sprinkle cheeses and fresh basil or Italian parsley over the top.

Bake 5-10 minutes more or until the cheese melts.

And get ready for a real taste and aromatic treat!

Buon appetito always!
Chef Dave

newitalianrecipes2003@comcast.net

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Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe