Since I had some left over cooked brown rice at home, I decided it would be perfect to make stuffed bell peppers. Normally I've made them in the oven, but the results have always been less than stellar - the peppers are still hard when I take them out, and the stuffing is dried out. This time I decided to try it in the crock pot. I consulted this recipe, which recommended cooking them in a little marinara sauce.
 |
| Peppers before I put the sauce and sprinkle of cheese on top |
I had only a cup of marinara sauce left in a jar, plus a random bag of pizza sauce, but then I remembered I had cherry tomatoes... so here we go:
Pepper Ingredients:
1 package of ground turkey or beef (about 1 lb)
1-2 cups of cooked brown or white rice
1 whole onion, chopped
5-6 whole bell peppers (I liked mixing the green with colored ones) - I was able to fit 5 in my full sized crock pot
Spices: cayenne pepper, dried basil, parsley, paprika, salt
Sauce Ingredients:
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 box of mushrooms, chopped
1 - cups of marinara sauce (about half a jar) - or some type of tomato paste plus water and a bit of sugar (or pizza sauce like me)
1 cup of chopped bell peppers (I saved the tops and chopped them)
Topping Ingredients;
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup of grated good Parmesan cheese (I grate the good stuff fresh)
Start by cutting the tops of the pepper off. I cut about an inch down from the top of the pepper, and removed the seeds. Since sometimes the flesh can be unflavorful, you can lightly brush the insides of the pepper with olive oil, and sprinkle a little salt so it adheres to the pepper.
To make the stuffing, I heat up about 1-2 tbsp of oil and tossed in the chopped onion and turkey. I spent a good amount of time browning it. You want all the liquids to come out of the meat and then dry up, and keep stirring until the meat is turning a nice golden brown (caramelized) color. Add in the spices. Turn off the heat and stir in the cooked rice. Now you can take this mixture and spoon it into the peppers. I pressed the ingredients down and stuffed 5 peppers total.
Set the peppers aside and start working on the sauce. In the same pan you just used, toss in the chopped peppers (remember you saved the tops of the peppers and chopped them up?), and the mushrooms. Wait till this is becoming caramelized, and then add in the chopped cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes will pop and give out their sweet juice, making this a sauce. Keep stirring so it doesn't burn. Add in some more of the same spices you used on the peppers. Then pour in the marinara sauce plus a bit of water (maybe half cup). This will basically deglaze the pan and catch all of that delicious caramelization.
Reserve about a cup of this sauce in a bowl. Then take the rest of the pot of sauce over to the crock pot. Pour it in. Then set the peppers in the sauce. Now take the reserved sauce and spoon about 1-2 spoons onto the top of each pepper. This adds a bit more moisture and flavor to the rice and meat. Take the mozzarella and parmesan, mix them together, and then sprinkle over the top of each pepper. Sprinkle the remainder on to the sauce on the bottom.
Put the lid on the crock pot. Set it to low for 5-6 hours. Let it go. Do stuff. Ignore the delicious smell. Then voila you are ready to eat. The tops of the peppers will become nice and slightly browned from the cooking. Use a big spoon to remove, since the peppers will have become really soft and sweet. Serve with extra sauce from the bottom drizzled on top. Enjoy!
