Baked Stuffed Peppers

Baked stuffed peppers are a colorful and tasty dish, typical of Mediterranean cuisine and also beloved in Italy. Let’s look together at the recipe for this delightful dish.

Ingredients

• 4 medium bell peppers (red, yellow or green according to taste)
• 300 g of ground meat (pork, beef, or a mix)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 80 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 200 g of rice or stale bread soaked in milk
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 400 g of tomato puree
• Fresh basil

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Wash the peppers, cut off the tops to create a “hat” and remove the seeds and internal membranes.
3. In a pan, heat a drizzle of oil and sauté the onion and garlic until they become translucent.
4. Add the ground meat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook until well browned.
5. In the meantime, if you’re using rice, cook it in boiling salted water for about half of the time indicated for a full cook. If using bread, squeeze it well after soaking it in milk.
6. In a bowl, mix the meat with the rice or bread, add the Parmesan, a bit of parsley, salt, and pepper, and blend everything well.
7. Stuff the peppers with the mixture of meat, rice or bread, and Parmesan.
8. Arrange the peppers in a baking dish, add the tomato puree around the peppers, sprinkle with another drizzle of oil and some fresh basil leaves.
9. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour. Halfway through cooking, remove the foil to allow the peppers to brown.
10. Check the doneness by inserting the tip of a knife into the peppers; if it enters without resistance, they are ready.

Serve the hot peppers, perhaps accompanied by a drizzle of raw oil and an additional sprinkling of Parmesan or fresh basil.

Trivia

Stuffed peppers are a versatile recipe that allows many variations. For instance, you can opt for a vegetarian filling by replacing the meat with crumbled tofu or seitan, or with a mixture of chopped vegetables and couscous or quinoa for a lighter but equally tasty version.