As a child, when I would ask, “What’s for dinner mom?” and I would receive the answer, “stuffed peppers,” I was a happy girl. Stuffed bell peppers were considered a “comfort food” in my household. (Although mom referred to bell peppers used any other way as mangos…did anyone else’s parents call them mangos?? I think it is a definite Midwest thing.) My mom made them quite regularly following the traditional recipe with ground beef and tomatoes.
However, in our household now, Pappy usually prepares the meat on the grill while I cook side dishes to complement. Wow, these veggie filled stuffed peppers are an amazing complement to chicken, beef or pork!
This past weekend, I wanted to create something new. Something different. Something fun! This is what I came up with and they were delicious!
Veggie Filled Stuffed Peppers~
Dice all of your vegetables. You are going to want to dice them pretty small.
Sautee your vegetables in olive oil. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Add your chopped spinach in and cook until wilted.
Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions.
While both of these are cooking, slice your bell peppers in half and remove the seeds
.
Place the bell pepper halves on a foil lined cooking sheet (I did not line my cooking sheet with foil and regretted it). Add one slice of monterey jack cheese to the bottom of each pepper.
Add cooked veggies and rice together in mixing bowl. Add shredded parmesan cheese and mix well.
Fill each pepper with the vegetable and cheese mixture. Top with shaved parmesan.
Cook at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until browned.
Definitely a different twist on the traditional bell peppers, however, still a “comfort” food! Enjoy!