Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers

We love stuffed peppers.  It is a wonderful way to get veggies into people you don’t often eat them, plus it is great comfort food.  Many people like to blanch their peppers prior to stuffing them, and many cooks like to brown the meat before mixing it all together; however, my mom never did and neither do I.  It does take longer to cook, but I have always enjoyed the smell of them filling the kitchen as I prepared the other items for dinner, but you do it your way. 

4 large bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed

1 pound lean ground beef or turkey

6 ounces ground Italian sausage

1/2  medium onion, diced

2 green onions, sliced thinly

1 stalk of celery, diced thinly

½ Tablespoon parsley flakes

1 cup cooked rice

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

     1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 (24 ounce) jar tomato sauce, divided

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon sugar (my mother always said to add sugar to cut the tartness of the tomatoes)

2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella or Italian blend cheese

Fresh chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a roasting pan (large enough to accommodate 8 pepper halves in a single layer) with cooking spray.

Combine the ground beef, Italian sausage, rice, Italian seasonings, onions, celery, parsley flakes, salt, pepper, minced garlic, Parmesan cheese, egg, and 1/2 cup sauce in a large bowl. Mix until combined.

Divide meat mixture evenly among the green pepper halves; press to compress slightly. Arrange halves in prepared pan. Add garlic powder and sugar to the remaining sauce and spoon it over the tops of the meat and peppers. Pour any remaining sauce along the sides of the pan.  Cover tightly with foil.

Bake until the peppers are soft and internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F, about 1 ½ hours. If you browned your meats prior to mixing, your bake time should be roughly 40 minutes covered.

Remove from oven. Remove foil and top each pepper with shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese.  We like to mound the cheese on the top. 

Turn oven to broil. Place peppers, uncovered under the broiler. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Note:  If you are trying to get more veggies in your life, you can add 1 shredded/grated carrot and/or 1/2 cup whole kernel corn to the mixture.