Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

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The Sweet and Mild Italian Stuffed Bell Pepper Dish Perfect for Dinner!

Pepper is a scary word. Hot pepper, jalapeno pepper, chipotle pepper...all hot and spicy. Don't let the bell pepper deceive you; it's mild, not hot at all, can be sweet, and full of fresh garden flavor.

This vegetable can be used various in dishes from pizza to stuffing, tuna salad to veggie dip, and has a number of different varities that all taste slightly different. Whichever type of pepper you use, they'll all make an excellent Italian stuffed bell pepper, but green and red are the most popular. Read on to find the ingredients and directions for this tasty recipe!

Buy your bell peppers local for the freshest flavor and to support the farming community near you!

Bell Peppers are Sweet! 

They're perfect for virtually any dish and a great source of Vitamin C and B6

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Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers 

How to make the classic stuffing filled bell peppers!

Stuffed Peppers are incredibly easy, and you can fill them with a number of different fillings to change it up. Some people prefer ground sirloin and cheese, while some use risotto or rice. This version uses spiced stuffing, which goes great with Italian dishes.

Ingredients for Stuffed Peppers

* 4 whole bell peppers, washed
* 4-6 celery stalks, cleaned and sliced into small pieces
* 1 can diced Italian style tomatoes, or two whole fresh tomatoes diced
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or 1/2 tablespoon fresh minced garlic (add the fresh version in with the veggie mixture below)
* 2 tbsp. olive oil
* 1/4 cup water
* 1/2 cup fresh sliced white mushrooms (optional)
* 1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare the stuffing by placing the olive oil, water, celery and mushrooms in a pan and cook to a boil. Add more water if the veggies absorb the water. Drain the canned diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes). Remove as much water as possible. Heat the tomatoes with the mixture for 5 minutes on low to soften the tomatoes.

2. While the water is boiling, cut the top of the bell pepper off (just the very top) once cleaned. Hollow the inside of the pepper, remove any seeds, and try to remove as much of the white pulp on the inside. Rinse the pepper and turn upside down to get the water to drain out.

3. Once the water has boiled, add the spices to the mixture and simmer for 30 seconds to let the spices rehydrate.

4. Add the dry stuffing mix to the water remove from the heat. Fluff the stuffing with a fork. If the stuffing is too dry, add extra water a few tablespoons at a time. Use less water for crispy stuffing, more for a wetter stuffing consistency.

5. Add the stuffing to the hollowed peppers. Fill completely. Add shredded mozarella or fresh mozarella, along with your favorite red tomato sauce if desired, or just make them plain.

6. Place the peppers in a glass pan and heat in the oven for 15-20 minutes, just make sure the peppers are slightly soft when they come out of the oven. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Some people use a bed of risotto to make this dish a full meal, or just serve it as an appetizer.



Stuffed pepper picture by scorps1027 on Flickr.

Stuffed Peppers...Risotto or Stuffing? 

Should these delicious veggies be stuffed with risotto or stuffing??

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Are bell peppers better stuffed with risotto or bread stuffing?

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Stuffing!

Risotto!

papawu says:

I've never really been big on traditional bread stuffing. I prefer cornbread stuffing during the holidays, but for this dish I would definitely go with the risotto.

cappuccino136 says:

I grew up eating them stuffed with rice and ground beef stuffing with some tomato sauce. Risotto is closer to that than bread stuffing. I like risotto a lot, too.

Margo_Arrowsmith says:

Actually, I would use brown rice...or oatmeal. Wheat is to be avoided and the other is so delicious!

hlkljgk says:

risotto

 
 
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The Ideal Saucepan to Use for Cooking the Ingredients 

Cook your stuffed pepper filling in this Calphalon cookware

Calphalon makes an incredibly durable piece of cookware that really holds up! One of the best parts is that it heats evenly, so it won't burn parts of the food. The anodized coating also ensures safely that nothing will be stuck to the bottom of the pan, and can be easily cleaned. I've never had food stick to these pans, they're perfect.

Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick 2-1/2-Quart Shallow Saucepan with Lid

Amazon Price: $39.95 (as of 07/06/2009)Buy Now

*Versatile 2-1/2-quart saucepan for stovetop and oven cooking
*Heavy aluminum, with thick bottom to heat evenly, quickly
*Anodized for hardness, with nonstick coating oven-safe to 450 degrees F
*Riveted, brushed stainless-steel oval handle stays cool on stovetop
*Domed glass lid collects and returns moisture to food during cooking

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

Grow Your Own Bell Peppers! 

Seeds to get you started with fresh bell peppers in your backyard!

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Woops! Bell peppers aren't vegetables!

Bell peppers are technically fruit. But don't worry, everyone still uses them just like vegetables (and they taste like a veggie, too).

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How to Prepare Bell Peppers 

Easy instructions on how to prepare this tasty pepper!

Are you looking to do something else with your peppers? Use these tips to prepare some fresh peppers!



  • Thoroughly wash the bell pepper with fruit and vegetable wash using a vegetable scrub brush.

  • After cleaning, pierce the top of the pepper around the stem. Make an incision around the entire stem and remove the knife.

  • Pull up on the stem to remove the entire middle of the bell pepper. This should remove much of the pulpy interior and seeds.

  • To remove the rest of the interior, give the inside of the bell pepper a quick rinse to get rid of the seeds. If additional seeds remain, cut them out with a sharp knife.

  • Next, cut the pepper in half lengthwise. Halve each half again lengthwise. Cut the thin white strips of pulp off of each quarter.

  • Cut each quarter lenghwise into thin strips. They're now ready to serve, or to dice up!



Picture by René Ehrhardt

You can't get much better than stuffed peppers.

Why is buying locally grown produce greener?

It's greener to buy from local farms, produce roadside stands and locally grown grocery store produce. Less transit time to get to to you means less energy wasted, and a quicker turnaround time (fresher veggies!). Those tomatoes from Argentina? Not as green as the ones from down the street.

Get in Some Extra Veggies with These Vegetable Cookbooks! 

Squeeze in some extra vegetables like bell peppers in your diet!

Show Bell Peppers Some Love! 

They're colorful, tasty and grown locally all around most of the country!

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Guestbook 

Tell us your favorite bell pepper recipe, or just stop by and say hello!

Thanks for dropping by our lens!

papawu wrote...

Fabulous lens. I really prefer the green peppers because the others tend to be a little too sweet for my tastes.

ReplyPosted May 14, 2009

elliespark wrote...

These are delicious~!! I love just eating them raw, like an apple; crunchy, fresh, and flavorful veggies :D
5/5 and faved, of course!! Great lens!

ReplyPosted January 09, 2009

bdkz wrote...

Looks delicious!

ReplyPosted December 29, 2008

lakeerieartists wrote...

My favorite peppers are sweet red and yellow ones. I love them roasted or grilled.

ReplyPosted December 28, 2008

cappuccino136 wrote...

Bell peppers are delicious! One of my favorites. Nice lens.

ReplyPosted December 27, 2008

 
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You can stuff your bell peppers in here!

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Sources 

Stuffed Pepper Picture by wharman on Flickr.

Pepper intro picture by SqueakyMarmot

Green Bell Pepper picture by Jasmine&Roses on Flickr.

Local produce picture of bell peppers by chascar on Flickr.

Red and green bell pepper picture on the right by %u2665Sage... busy again... on Flickr