Fall is a great season for some hearty recipes sure to make every meal an enjoyable one. As the cooler weather approaches, we often crave those comfort foods that the fall season offers. This rice-stuffed pepper recipe uses red sheppard peppers in particular, specifically for its sweet taste and tender texture. Sheppard peppers are a popular fall vegetable, and a favorite among many for a variety of recipes. They are also a great pepper for stuffing. Using a mixture of fresh vegetables in the rice, it creates a tasty combination. Serve with a green salad, and you have a healthy meal to enjoy.
Rice Stuffed Red Peppers
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of rice (white or brown rice)
- 4 sweet red sheppard peppers (slice around the stem of the pepper so you have an opening to stuff the rice. Empty out any seeds in the pepper, and slice off the seeds underneath the stem. Do not throw away the stem of the pepper, as this will be used later)
- 3 carrots (chopped finely)
- 2 celery sticks (chopped finely)
- 1 onion (chopped finely)
- 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 2 cups of frozen peas
- 2 cups of frozen corn
- 1 cup of crushed tomatoes (canned or fresh ripe tomatoes)
- salt and pepper (for taste)
- Mozzarella (optional, see below-cut into cubes)
Directions:
- In a non-stick pan, drizzle a bit of olive oil and turn heat to medium-high. Start adding the chopped carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and crushed tomatoes. Sautee for 20 minutes. Vegetables should still have a bit of a crunch to them. Do not overcook. Set aside.
- In a seperate pot, bring water for the rice to a boil. Add the rice, frozen peas, and frozen corn, and boil according to the required cooking time of the rice you are using. Cooking the frozen peas and corn along with the rice eliminates having to use another pan to boil them seperately, making it more practical.
- Once cooked, drain rice, peas, and corn thoroughly and bring back into the pot. Add the cooked vegetables and mix well.
- Take your mixed rice and begin to stuff peppers right to the very top of the pepper. The easiest way to stuff these peppers is to use a small spoon. Because Sheppard peppers are slender in shape compared to other peppers, it may get tricky to stuff them, so don’t worry about making a bit of a mess. As you are stuffing the rice into the peppers, be sure to use your spoon to pack the rice down as mush as possible, so you are filling the pepper to capacity. Be sure not to press to firmly, or the pepper will crack.
- Once stuffed, take the stem part of the pepper that was previously cut out and top the pepper by pressing firmly, as if putting the pepper back together.
- Place stuffed peppers flat in a greased casserole dish. The stem of the pepper may fall out when being placed down, if so just place it on again while it's flat down. The rice should make it stick again. The stem will likely fall while baking, so don't stress.
- Cover casserole with tin foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.
* Serves 4
Left over rice? If you find that you have left over rice and no extra peppers to stuff, eat the rice as a left over for lunch the next day. The rice has enough flavor to be eaten and enjoyed on its own.
Optional Additions:
If you are a fan of cheese in your dishes, cut mozzarella into small cubes and place them into the pepper as you are stuffing the rice. Place a few cubes while the pepper is half filled, and a couple more at the very top, by pressing down with your fingers so that the cubes are embedded into the rice. The cheese will melt while the peppers are cooking in the oven, adding a light extra flavor and rich texture to the overall dish.
