Stuffed green bell peppers is a delicious main meal that you can make ahead and bake when you are ready to serve it. Add a green salad, a home-made bread and a bottle of your favorite wine for a simple but elegant supper. This serves six people.
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place one cup of long grained rice into a saucepan with two cups of water. Heat the rice over medium heat until the water has been completely absorbed by the rice. Remove it from heat and place the rice in a large mixing bowl.
3. Peel and dice one onion. Peel and mince two cloves of fresh garlic. Then pan fry it and the diced onions with the pork sausage. Stir the mixture until the sausage is evenly browned. Drain the excess oil and add the meat mixture to the bowl with the cooked rice.
4. Combine the rice and meat mixture in the big bowl. Toss in 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil. Add 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese. Reserve 1/2 cup of cheese for later. Mix the ingredients until they are evenly distributed in the bowl.
5. Cut off the top of the green bell pepper by carefully slicing around the pepper about 1/2 inch below the stem and all around the outside of the pepper. Use your sharp paring knife to separate the white rind on the inside of the green pepper from the green shell. Discard this rind as well as the seeds that are inside the pepper. Don't throw away the top of the pepper with the stem.
6. Spoon and stuff the pepper with a generous portion of the rice, meat, and cheese mixture. Push the stuffing down into the pepper and add as much more as you can. Sprinkle the top with some of the left-over shredded cheddar cheese. Place each stuffed pepper into the glass casserole dish. Place the top of the pepper back on.
7. Open the can of diced tomatoes and pour the entire can over the stuffed peppers. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35 minutes. Serve hot.
Tags: casserole dish, cheddar cheese, green bell, meat mixture, meat mixture bowl