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Beef and Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers

    Beef and Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers

    Difficulty: Medium

    Ingredients

    • 6 bell peppers

    • 3 cups chunky tomato sauce, divided

    • ½ onion, very thinly sliced

    • 1 cup beef broth

    • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

    • 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef

    • 1 ½ cups cooked rice

    • ½ cup freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

    • ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

    • 4 cloves garlic, minced

    • 2 teaspoons salt

    • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

    Directions

    • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
    • Slice peppers 1/2-inch from the top; cut out stems and set aside tops. Cut core from the inside of peppers and strip away any seeds. Cut off a thin slice from the bottoms so peppers can stand upright. Poke about 4 tiny holes in the bottoms to let juices drain.
    • Pour 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Add onion, beef broth, and red pepper flakes; spread out mixture evenly over the bottom. Set bell peppers upright in the dish.
    • Combine ground beef, cooked rice, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 2 tablespoons tomato sauce, 1/4 cup parsley, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl.
    • Lightly stuff peppers with meat mixture. Spread 1 tablespoon tomato sauce on top of each portion of stuffing; place reserved tops onto peppers. Lay a piece of parchment paper loosely on top of peppers and cover the dish tightly with foil. Place the dish on top of a baking sheet.
    • Bake in the preheated oven until peppers have softened slightly, about 1 hour. Remove foil and parchment paper. Continue baking until meat filling is cooked through and peppers are tender, 20 to 30 more minutes.
    • Sprinkle each pepper with 1/2 teaspoon parsley and drizzle with a spoonful of pan juices.
    • Chef’s Notes:
      I use parchment paper in this recipe because I don’t like foil touching acidic things while they bake.

      If you don’t use the baking sheet, your peppers will bake faster.

    Recipe Video

    Notes

    • Credit to: Chef John (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/236359/beef-and-rice-stuffed-bell-peppers/)