Today I want to go over what is probably a simplified version of one of my favorite foods my mom makes: stuffed peppers. Considering what a vague sort of name that is, there are probably hundreds of unique recipes which would fit under the same title. Maybe you even have a version in your mind already, but this is what I can share with you so you can confidently make another meal, even if you really think you’re an awful chef. 

You don’t need a ton of ingredients for this recipe — just look at the infographic I made! The only thing beyond that list that you need is your preferred seasonings. The cookware you’ll need for this recipe are a medium sized pot, a frying pan and some oven safe pan or dish with walls.  

The first thing you ought to do is boil your rice and, if you are using meat, brown it in your frying pan. These are the two main components of your pepper filling. If you are substituting beans for ground meat, then you just need to heat them up, either in a small pan or even in the microwave. Honestly, if you want to add beans and meat, that works too. 

If you’ve opted to use a fresh tomato you should wash and dice it now and set it aside for a moment. If you opted for a can of diced tomatoes, then just open and drain your can. Combine your rice and meat (and beans if you have them) with tomato sauce and your diced tomato. If you have a second pot then you can just combine everything inside the pot you used to boil the rice. Otherwise, mix this all up in a bowl, since we’ll need to use the pot again.

This step is where you can get a little creative with spices. Some things I think would be good to incorporate in this recipe are garlic powder, cayenne pepper or curry powder. If nothing else, make sure to season with salt and pepper. Set this big tasty mess to the side and let’s move on to the peppers themselves. 

First, you should cut off the tops of the peppers and take out all the seeds, creating your little cups to stuff with the filling. All you really need to do is soften the bell peppers a little bit, so we’re parboiling. That’s sort of exciting! At the very least it’s a term that feels like it could be complicated, when really it just stands for partly boiling. All you need to do is fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil, then submerge your peppers completely for a few minutes until they’re just slightly softened. You don’t want to overcook them into mush, but some softness is good.

After this you can transfer your peppers into your oven safe bakeware and fill them with the rice mix. You can also spoon more sauce on top now if you want, and then top with shredded cheese. 

Since everything is already cooked, you really only need these to be in the oven long enough to make sure everything is hot and the cheese is melted. Then they’re ready to eat, and they’re fantastic! I hope you give this recipe a try and like them as much as I do!