I put gluten-free in the title because they are gluten-free and that’s what this blog is about. However, this is one of the few recipes that I have been able to keep the same, because it has always been gluten-free. I just didn’t know it. I love stuffed peppers, they are super filling and super easy to make. I went to the store a couple of days ago and found these gorgeous and HUGE green bell peppers for only 74 cents a piece (which is excellent in my area) and I couldn’t resist buying them. So, last night I put them to use. Yum!
Note: I am lazy and do not own a rice cooker yet, so I use those boil-in-bag 10 minute rice pouches and they will be my “unit of measure.” Also, I pre-cook everything that goes into the peppers. If you would rather put raw material in the peppers, my recipe probably isn’t for you. I am trying to guestimate on the seasoning amounts, I don’t measure seasoning while cooking. So, use your own judgement.
Ingredients:
4 extra-large & 1 small bell peppers (or about 5-6 normal/large)
1 packet of boil-in-bag white rice
1 packet of boil-in-bag brown rice
2-2.5 cans tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pound ground beef/chuck
1/3 pound hot breakfast sausage
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp pepper
1.5 tsp paprika
Directions:
In a medium frying pan, cook the breakfast sausage(crumbled) until done. Put the cooked sausage into a large mixing bowl. In the same frying pan, cook the ground beef (also crumbled) until done. Pour off the grease then put the cooked beef in the bowl with the sausage. Let the meat cool. In a medium pot, boil water and cook the two rice packets for about 10-13 minutes. (Note: I use the brand Success and both the brown and white supposedly take 10 minutes to cook. The white rice is done in 10 mins, the brown is not, it takes about 13 mins. It doesn’t hurt the white rice to let it continue to cook with the brown, so I just leave them both in the water for about 13 mins.) Drain the water off of the rice bags and let them sit. Go back to the meat, it should be cool enough to touch with your hands. Using your hands, crumble up any large pieces of meat and mix the sausage into the beef. Then add both bags of rice to the meat and stir until well mixed.
Drain the can of diced tomatoes and put the tomatoes in the bowl. (all of this is done in the same bowl with the meat & rice, there is never a second bowl) Stir. Put 1 can of tomato sauce and the sour cream into the bowl and stir. Next, add the onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and paprika and stir well. Look at the mixture, it is usually a bit too dry, so I add about 1/2 can of tomato sauce. You do not want the mixture soupy, just make sure it stirs easily and it should be perfect.
Set that to the side and start prepping your bell peppers. Wash them, cut the tops off, and clean up the inside ridges the best you can without puncturing the walls of the peppers. Find a glass dish that will hold all of your peppers when they’re standing up. The dish should have high enough sides so the peppers dont topple over and out of the pan (trust me…that will just ruin your entire day). Pour tomato sauce in the empty dish, you want to have about a 1/2 inch layer of it on the bottom of the dish. Then, place the empty bell peppers into the dish. I usually put about a tsp of tomato sauce in each of the empty peppers, it seems to help the bottoms cook a little faster, but it is not important flavor-wise. Then, spoon your mixture into all of the bell peppers until they are full. I over-fill them a little bit. Bake uncovered.
If you bake it right away: 425° 30-35 minutes
You can actually be really flexible with the temps, but if you go above 425 then the peppers have a tendency burn before everything has a chance to cook together. And of course, if you change the temp, don’t forget to give yourself more time to bake it.
Hope you enjoy this recipe it is one of my favorites and can definitely be considered comfort food. I also love it because it is a meal in itself, you really don’t need to fix any sides. The sides go to waste because these peppers are just so filling.
I apologize if I didn’t explain the directions very well, or over explained them. I have never attempted to share recipes with other people. So, if you have any constructive criticism I wouldn’t mind, just please try to be nice about it. 🙂
Smell The Flours 