Italian🥬 Vegetables

My Mother's Stuffed Peppers

Name: My Mother's Stuffed Peppers
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 Large or medium bell peppers; ½ cup Long grain rice, rinsed and cooked halfway through; 1 lb Ground beef; 2 cloves Garlic, minced; ¼ cups Fresh parsley, finely chopped; ½ cup Parmesan cheese; ½ cup Fresh mozzarella or provolone cheese, diced; 24 oz Passata (tomato sauce); ~3-4 leaves Fresh basil; ~1-1.5 tsp Salt; ~3 tbsp Olive oil; ~1 medium Yellow onion, thinly sliced

⏱ 90 min🍽 Serves 4

This beloved stuffed pepper recipe is a family classic. Fresh bell peppers are filled with seasoned ground beef, partially cooked rice, cheese, and herbs, then seared and simmered slowly in tomato sauce until tender and flavorful. It tastes like a giant meatball in a pepper, comforting and absolutely delicious.

Adapted from a video by Laura in the Kitchen

My Mother's Stuffed Pepper Recipe

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Large or medium bell peppers4
Long grain rice, rinsed and cooked halfway through½ cup
Ground beef1 lb
Garlic, minced2 cloves
Fresh parsley, finely chopped¼ cups
Parmesan cheese½ cup
Fresh mozzarella or provolone cheese, diced½ cup
Passata (tomato sauce)24 oz
Fresh basil~3-4 leavesest.
Salt

Steps

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1
Prepare the beef filling: Combine 1 pound of ground beef in a bowl with 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1/2 cup diced mozzarella or provolone, a good pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup of rice that has been cooked halfway (about 7 minutes) and cooled. Mix gently with your hands until just combined; do not add egg.
2
Prepare the peppers: Select 4 large bell peppers. Cut off the top of each pepper about one-quarter of the way down so you can use the top as a lid. Carefully remove all seeds from the interior and use the tip of your knife to cut around and extract any remaining seeds. Make a shallow cut in the bottom of each pepper to keep it stable and prevent wobbling.
3
Stuff the peppers: Distribute the beef filling evenly among the 4 prepared peppers, filling them quite generously while leaving space for the filling to expand during cooking. Place the pepper top back on each pepper, aligning it carefully. Insert 2 toothpicks through the lid and into the pepper to secure the top, preventing it from sliding off during simmering.
4
Sear the peppers: Heat olive oil in a large pot. Working in batches if needed, carefully place the stuffed peppers in the pot and gently roll them to brown all sides lightly. This creates an extra layer of flavor.
5
Make the sauce: Transfer the seared peppers to the pot. Add some thinly sliced yellow onion to the pot, then pour in 24 ounces of passata. Rinse out the bottle halfway with water and add that liquid to create more sauce.
6
Simmer the peppers: Cover the pot and let the peppers simmer gently for about 1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Do not disturb, move, or turn the peppers—simply let them cook undisturbed. Near the end of cooking, add fresh basil and adjust seasoning with salt. The peppers should become very tender and the filling fully cooked.
7
Serve: Remove the toothpicks from each pepper before serving. Spoon the peppers and the rich tomato sauce onto serving plates. Open up the pepper tops to reveal the filling and enjoy. (Tip: The maker's mother traditionally serves these with bucatini pasta tossed in the sauce.)

My Mother's Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

Steps

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