Stuffed Bell Peppers

This is a great dish to use for any type of ground meat. I like the kick of spicy italian sausauge but you could do ground beef, ground turkey, or another ground sausage like chorizo.

You can make this dish ahead. Just make the meat and rice filling and stuff it in the bell peppers. Cover well with plastic wrap and refridgerate. When you want to serve it, put together the breadcrumb and cheese topping and follow the baking directions below.

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork sausage
1 cup chopped onions
1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice
2 sprigs chopped green onions, green part only
4 medium bell peppers, cut off the top and remove seeds and ribs
4 tablespoons dried fine bread crumbs
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan Reggiano

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large skillet, over medium heat, brown the sausage, about 5 minutes.

2. Once browned, drain sausage from fat using a strainer. Place 1 tbs. of the rendered fat back into the pan and set meat aside. Add the onions to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook over low heat for 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

3. Add the rice and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions and parsley. Add rice and onion mix to sausage and stir to combine.

4. Season the bell peppers with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the bell peppers.

5. In a mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Sprinkle the crust over each pepper.

6. Place the peppers in a shallow pan and add just enough water to cover the bottom. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the tops are crusty and brown. Serve hot.