Our Editor in Chief, Rhonda Massad has shared her stuffed bell pepper recipe and it's safe to say she has our mouths watering.
This recipe is wonderful because it is so customizable. Sub the sausage for a veggie alternative, or skip it altogether. Play around with the spice mixture depending on your personal preferences, and skip the parmesan cheese for a delicious dairy-free alternative.
See the list of ingredients as well as a step-by-step guide below.
Let us know if you try these in the comments!
INGREDIENTS:
1½ cups cooked quinoa or grain of your choice
2 cups ground sausage (pork, turkey or veggie are all great options)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion
7 bell peppers (one will be added to the stuffing mixture)
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1 cup tomatoes, diced
Fresh parsley for flavor and garnish
1 tbsp paprika
½ cup parmesan cheese
Toasted almonds (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Cook quinoa according to package directions (yield 1 ½ cups).
Sauté the de-cased sausage in a large skillet over medium heat.
Crumble the sausage as it cooks until it's nicely browned and no longer pink, breaking up any of the large pieces (about 7-10 minutes).
Transfer the cooked sausage to a plate and set aside.
In the same skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and red bell pepper for 5 minutes until the pepper is soft and the onion is translucent.
Add tomatoes and mushrooms, sauté for another 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, then add in parsley to taste, cooked quinoa, paprika, sausage, and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine, taste, and adjust seasonings.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Stuff bell 6 remaining bell peppers with sausage mixture, dividing equally and gently packing the mixture down. Arrange upright in prepared baking dish.
Cover and bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour or until peppers are tender.
Serve topped with a sprinkling of toasted almonds.
This recipe is incredibly versatile and can be catered to a wide variety of tastes. Prep a large batch of your stuffing mixture ahead of time and toss some in the freezer for an easy meal prep to grab on the go!
Let us know if you add this to your recipe docket for the week!
