Monday, May 3, 2010

New Math for Stuffed Bell Peppers: Half was Twice as Good

Here's a video recipe of the new and improved stuffed bell peppers. I posted the written recipe a little while back, but wanted to provide a video tutorial also. There have been some significant and shocking changes, so I hope you're sitting down.


The peppers are now cut in half lengthwise, so that the meat/rice-to-pepper ratio is much more in our favor. The bad news is you must find evenly sized, and boxy shaped peppers so the halves cook evenly, but the good news is I just doubled your number of servings.

Also in this version we chose to use the classic green bell pepper. This recipe's roots can be traced back to the Great Depression, when farmers first began selling the unripe peppers out of necessity. Of course, we did what Americans always do when faced with a new variety of food, we stuffed meat in it.

I'll have to admit, I bowed to conventional wisdom, and called for the sweeter red bell in the cookbook, but as any true stuffed bell pepper aficionado will tell you, green is the money pepper. The bitterness of the green pepper serves as a perfect foil to the tangy, but subtly sweet stuffing.

Finally, after several attempts, you have here the final official Food Wishes stuffed bell pepper recipe. I hope you give it a try. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 cup beef broth
2 cups prepared marinara sauce, or other tomato sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
For the peppers:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 pound hot Italian pork sausage, casings removed
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup finely grated "real" Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano)
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced very fine
1 can 10-oz diced tomatoes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne
4 large green bell peppers

55 comments:

Brad said...

Thanks so much for this Chef! We loved the previous recipe, so I simply can't wait to give this one a whirl!

Anonymous said...

red manicures! hahaha:)
so entertaining.

i like green pepper and tomato combinations. it's tasty.

well, my food wish is asparagus.
i'd like to know a simple yet tasty tasty recipe.
thanks.

Anonymous said...

my grandma only makes it with green bell peppers and they are delicious!

Tina Kim said...

Looks delish! I'm going to try making this for dinner sometime.

I know there's a debate between red or green peppers, but you can always have both - just use half green peppers and half red :)

Chef John said...

yes u can!

Kyle said...

I've got mine prepped and ready for the oven the night before. I'll let you know how that turns out. Hopefully shouldn't be an issue, right?

Chef John said...

no prob

PukaDog said...

I'm afraid I'm going to stick with the red or the yellow. Never cared for green. Don't even like the smell of 'em. This recipe does look delish, though. Since peppers are $5.99/lb. where I live, I'm trying to grow red & yellow peppers this year for the first time. Hopefully they'll make it. If/when they do, I'll give this a whirl.

Chris K. said...

Michelle's hands are prettier than yours.

Kyle said...

John -

Yeah, they turned out perfect, even though I had them prepped last night. Also, used turkey instead of beef. Worked perfectly. If you're having guests, have it done beforehand and just throw them in the oven an hour and fifteen before service. Boo-Yah!

Anonymous said...

I made these the other night and they were the best stuffed peppers I have ever had. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!

Mac McCarthy said...

They turned out awesome. Just a note to the folks out there like me who like these with mashed potatoes: make a double batch of the sauce and reduce it on the stove while the peppers are in the oven so you can use it as gravy. You won't regret it.

Tina Kim said...

Pre-made these the night before like one reader did and it was delicious! My husband and I loved it. I did what I previously suggested above and used both green and red peppers. Great flavor in both! Thanks Chef John for your wonderful recipes. They have been a lifesaver for this very busy mom!

Anonymous said...

I've tried the recipe and it is fabulous. If you added a little bit of tom yum paste into the meat mix you'll get a really exotic taste :D

Jim said...

Tonight was my fourth try making these Chef John and I had way too much left over. You must be using bigger peppers and a bigger casserole than I am because I mounded them high and still had about a quarter of stuffing left over. First three times I used your exact ingredients; tonight I'm experimenting with mozzarella replacing the Parmesan. This and your Rocket Beans are two of your recipes I make most often and they are great. (I added an egg and a cup of bread crumbs to the leftover stuffing and put it in a loaf casserole; maybe it will turn into something good.) Thanks for all the great, tasty and simple recipes and I hope you make it to the food network.

Jim

tifferschang said...

Thanks very much for the recipe. I had to cook for 20 people and this dish helped a great deal. Thank you!

And green worked out better than red.

Tiff

Kelly said...

Hi Chef John,

I tried these out today and they were delicious! I have just discovered your site and I really can't wait to try out lots more of your recipes.
Thanks from a friend in Australia.
Cheers,
Kelly

Anonymous said...

Chef John,

I love the recipe..yummy and delicious...by the way I have used both red and green at the same time to give it try and I must tell you...the smell itself is appetizer so good while cooking and taste you know how it taste. I cant believe I can cooked tasty food as well hahaha.
Thank you Chef John
from Dubai..

Nickoval said...

The filling was perfect, and the sauce oniony and delicious, but the peppers were not cooked, even after more than 1.5 hours in the oven (correctly calibrated) at 375 degrees. Oops. Problem with this recipe.

Chef John said...

Sorry, but no idea what is the problem. Mine have always cooked, as they have for others following the recipe (see above). 1 1/2 hours is certainly long enough to cook a 1/2 pepper.

Amanda said...

I made these this weekend and they were absolutely delicious!! Thank you for posting this great recipe!

DeLynn said...

Hey Chef John, love this dish, thank you for posting it. I made some tweaks to it that I thought others might like too. Instead of the beef and sausage I used ground turkey. I used basmati rice, 10oz can of Rotel (hot) and added some jalapeƱos to the mix. Mmmmmmmmmm nice spicy dish with a texture like lasagna. Keep up the awesomeness, Chef!

Sybarite said...

OMG. I just loved this dish. I use to make it on the stove after cooking the peppers and meat. I will never cook it that way ever again. My husband hated stuffed peppers and we had to flip a coin for the last one. What is the caloric count for your stuffed peppers?

Louise said...

Chef John,

I made this recipe for dinner and my family gave me an A+. I added the hot Italian sausage, about 1 cup leftover basmati rice and two handfuls of chopped fresh spinach to the meat mixture. It turned out incredible. You have inspired me so much in the last year. You have saved me and my family. You are the bomb.

Anonymous said...

Chef John, thank you.

As much as I had to alter this such as no "real" parm (used cheddar),no Italian sausage and no parsley; they still came out great! I live in a very small mountain town with one little grocery store so a run over there would not be productive. I further messed up by adding 2 cups of broth. Pre CJ I would have thickend with corn starch but now I know to just do a reduction. Used red, yellow and green peppers. They really are the best we have ever had. Again, thanks!

Terra in Cripple Creek, Colorado

axel14222 said...

I had half of a green, half of a red and a whole orange pepper. This filling was delicious in all the colors. Since I only used half the stuffing, I froze it. It's like having money in the bank! Thanks, Chef!

Anonymous said...

So, I did this last night. One problem I have always had with this dish is it has way too much pepper. So much so that I could not eat the entire pepper. I would run out of stuffing and still have a grip of bell peeper to eat. This was really good. I have one in some tupperware I'm going to eat for lunch. Lunch is to far away...maybe brunch! This weekend...Stuffed cabbage rolls! Yeah baby! Thanks Chef!

Rigs Rocks said...

GREAT RECIPE...I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT...

Anonymous said...

Oh my god. I made it and my bf had THREE.
I think I should have let it baked covered for a little longer but they claim it was the perfect al dente. Usually stuffed peppers are mushy but there was awesome! Totally making them again chef john!!!!

ally said...

Is it possible to freeze this recipe before cooking(sauce and everything)? Or would the peppers get soggy?

Chef John said...

not sure!

Karen's Kitchen said...

Stop the presses!
You have achieved success!
This no longer a work in progress!
Simply wonderful.

cookinmom said...

Such pretty hands you have Chef John!!!

cookinmom said...

Success!!! My teenagers who were not going to bother eating these had two each. I told them they have to at least try them. Now they are going to be fighting over the leftovers. I used the SPICY Barilla Marinara sauce and it was excellent. Thanks again Chef!

Lindsay Sink said...

Ok Chef John, I bow down in reverence. I have been a follower for some two years now showing off "my talents" while following your wonderful recipes but now...you have hit a walk off grand slam home run. This dish..the tomato balsamic vinegar "gravy"?....wow, wow, wow. Please, any doubters...just follow the receipe - ok - without the beautiful red fingernails. Chef John....Thanks again!

Axel14222 said...

This has become a favorite in my home. Just out of curiosity though, why do you mix the stuffing before adding the rice and cheese and then mix it again after instead of just adding all the ingredients and then mixing?
Thanks Chef.

Chef John said...

I don't remember! Doesn't matter, you can just mix all together.

Anonymous said...

Hi chef John, I just discovered your website last week and love it. I've already made your roasted tomato sauce and your meatball recipe, and love them both. I've been away from cooking much for the past 3 years and your videos are making it easier to get back at cooking more again.
I'm curious about why you don't cook the meat before mixing it in the stuffing with these peppers. I've always done it that way and most of the recipes I see are like that.
I love your spice blends, you got me using cayenne pepper in just about everything! I brag about you to people and have already passed on your website to several people.
Keep up the great work.
Angie from Ontario

Chef John said...

So it holds together. Same reason I don't cook the meat before making meatballs or meatloaf. Thanks!

Lucie said...

This recipe is awesome, I finally have a dish I can prepare the night before, for as many people I need, that is foolproof. I followed your recipe to the "T" with the exception I also doubled the amount of ingredients for the sauce, reduced, and had it on the table in lieu of gravy for the mashed potatoes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Unknown said...

Chef John, just got your cookbook "Best of Home Cooking" America's Family Favorites from Amazon.( Added the name just in case someone else wants to get it) Love it as much as your blog. All my kids will be getting one shortly. Thanks again for all you do. I've learned alot. Wish I found you sooner.

Sarena said...

I made these last night and they were delicious! Instead of the hot sausage I used chorizo. Yum!

Sarena said...

I made these last night and they were delicious! Instead of sausage, I used chorizo! Yummmmm!

Marg-a-rita said...

I used ground turkey, chicken broth, quinoa, and Monterey Jack cheese. It was yummy!

littlebirdy said...

So Good. I made theses for dinner tonight and my family loved it.

BANANANA said...

Chef! Can these be made with silken tofu? I'm hosting a small party and one of my guests is vegetarian! Help!

Sandy said...

I had a craving for stuffed bell peppers, so naturally your blog was the first place I looked for a recipe. Perhaps this was a seasonally inappropriate dish to make on a hot June day in Texas, but it was delicious! The spicy sausage in the filling was a welcome change. My sauce was a tiny bit too salty for my liking, but that was my own fault - I should have realized it would reduce in the oven, and adjusted my seasoning accordingly.

Unknown said...

I made these and the sauce turned out runny. What did u do wrong.bi did exactly add the recipe said

Shannon Zitella said...

I love this recipe so much, it's my go-to recipe for stuffed bell peppers. I modified it a little for me since I'm trying to lose weight by only adding half a cup of parmesan and only one lb of ground turkey, and it's unbelievable, so I can just imagine how amazing it tastes if I did it correctly. Thank you for such an awesome recipe!

Kyrene said...

It would be nice if the ingredient list and instructions were on the same page. My computer and printer are not working just now, and having to switch between pages on my tablet is very inconvenient, especially with gunky hands after mixing the meat.

Manju Modiyani said...

Hello from India! This is a great recipe and I would love to try it. Do you think replacing beef with minced goat meat will work?

Super duper mom said...

He said any meat would do. I cheated and used chopped peppers and made a casserole. Same great flavor. Much easier.

Unknown said...

How did I not know that you have a Blog too??!!?? OMG. Love you.

Unknown said...

I tried this recipe first time for my hubby. It came out very well and he liked it very much. I've added the black pepper oleoresin to give more taste to the dish.Black pepper oleoresin online is an extract that is used as a flavouring agent in food products. Black pepper oleoresin helps in enhancing bio-availability and therefore used in pharmaceuticals.

Unknown said...

OMG! This is the BEST stuffed pepper recipe. Absolutely delicious. Another one to add to the rotation. Best stuffed peppers I've ever eated!