Yum. I have been craving Stuffed Peppers for months now, and anytime I've stumbled upon a Stuffed Peppers on Pinterest*, I couldn't help but Pin It!
When I finally got all of my poop in a group, and found nice sized, fresh, red bell peppers, I ended up doing something completely shocking...................
.....I didn't follow a recipe. I just made it up as I went. The options here are unlimited. You can use italian sausage, shredded chicken, ground beef, tofu, or black beans. Rice, orzo, quinoa...add in any type of veggie that you like. Pick a cheese or leave it off. Use your favorite herbs or whatever you have on hand. Like green peppers better than red? Use 'em. Use multiple colors for all I care. I cut mine in half to maximize the amount of filling, but if you want to cut the tops off and stuff them the tradional way, go right ahead! This is a great summer dish that is easy and delicious.
I hope this tides you over until I can get my Roof Truss post together!
*what is Pinterest, you ask? That is the content for an entirely different post. Google it and be prepared for it to take over your life. I'll work on getting a link up to my Pinterest account so you can follow me, but for now you can just search Lindsey Growette to find me.
Grilled Stuffed Peppers
Serves 4-5
-4 large bell peppers, cut in half and cleaned (as you can see from the pic above, I left the stems on so that none of the filling fell out)
-3/4 cup of uncooked rice
-1 lb of spicy Italian sausage
-1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, un-drained
-2 cups of fat free low sodium chicken broth
-2 cloves garlic
-1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste
-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
-1 bay leaf
-1 handful fresh basil
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup shredded cheese
Preheat grill to 350 degrees and prepare for indirect grilling.
Brown the sausage in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add garlic and cook until tender. Add undrained tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf, Italian seasoning and rice. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until rice is tender (15 - 20 min). Stir in tomato paste and fresh basil, check seasonings and add salt and pepper if necessary.
Make a tiny hole in the bottom of each pepper half with a tooth pick or a very shape knife tip. This will help to drain some moisture that may gather while cooking. Spoon filling into peppers. Arrange on the grill so each pepper half is being indirectly grilled. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the filling is hot and the pepper is tender. Top with cheese and cook for one minute more. Remove from heat, let sit for a couple of minutes and serve! If you have extra filling left over, serve that along side the peppers, or just stand at the stove and eat it with a fork. :)
Enjoy!
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