We planted a big garden this year and surprisingly, everything did well. Matter of fact, we had an abundance of green bell peppers! I ended up freezing some for later use and I also made up several batches of homemade stuffed green peppers and froze them too. Here is how we make ours.
You can use this same recipe when stuffing large red or green tomatoes too! Plus, if you let them cool completely, you can freeze them in containers for later use. I keep mine for 4 to 5 months in the freezer.
6 to 8 large green bell peppers
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/8 cup finely chopped onion
1 small can diced tomatoes with juice
1 medium can tomato sauce
2 cups uncooked white rice
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheese (your favorite)
Wash bell peppers, remove stem & seeds, set aside. Cook up the white rice until almost done. It should be el dente. Drain away water and set aside.
In a large frying pan simmer the lean ground beef with the finely chopped onion over medium heat until beef is done. Drain away grease, set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine together all of the above ingredients EXCEPT for the shredded cheese. Spoon filling into the shells of the green bell peppers or into the shells of large tomatoes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place peppers and/or tomatoes into a large baking dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove. Top each pepper or tomato with shredded cheese. Place baking dish back into the oven for 3 to 5 minutes to melt cheese. Remove and serve immediately.
