Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers began as my go to "meatless" meal... next to salad. This one, however, is not meatless, but was a fun "what's in the fridge" meal. You really cannot mess stuffed peppers up. At least that's what I believe!  I've got one consistent recipe I use for this, and the stuffing I always have fun with. :) So, my last post was on the pork meal, and we had some pork leftovers [even after Taylor took some for lunch] :). So, this is my "leftover pork stuffed pepper" recipe. Be creative and have fun! It is such a simple meal, and yet, healthy and filling!

Ingredients

1 can chicken stock
1 cup Trader Joe's Brown Rice [or any kind of rice you'd like]
Leftover Pork, finely chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1 small Roma tomato, diced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese [separated by 1/2] [not pictured]
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 red bell peppers

1. Bring chicken stock to boil, add 1 cup rice. Place on medium and let sit. Stirring occasionally. [The broth/rice ratio is 2 1/2 cups liquid (chicken stock) to 1 cup dry (rice)] Cook halfway.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the pork, onion, garlic, green pepper, Roma tomatoes [crushing the diced tomatoes in your hand before adding to the bowl to get the juices], 1/2 cup cheese, oregano, parsley, and red pepper flakes.

3. Rinse, cut, and clean insides out of red bell peppers. [Cutting the top of the pepper off to clean inside out. You may need to slice a tiny bit off the bottom to keep it standing up straight]

4. Once rice is halfway cooked, strain in a bowl, keep the chicken stock.

5. Add the rice to the bowl of ingredients. Stir.












6. Place the red bell peppers in a deep dish, standing them up right. Begin spooning ingredients into peppers.










7. Than carefully add chicken stock to dish, surrounding the peppers.


8. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, covered with aluminum.

9. Uncover, add 1/2 cup cheese to top the peppers, cook for 15 minutes, or until golden.

ENJOY!!









I loved these! This time I added the pork, red pepper flakes and cheddar cheese. You really can have so much fun with these, adding whatever you'd like inside. Next time I'm going to try Orzo pasta with zucchini and squash! Mmmmm!!! :)