Lamb-Stuffed Baked Peppers
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
If you like bell peppers, you'll love this dish because they're the main attraction, filled with seasoned rice and ground lamb and topped with a zesty tomato sauce.
Recipe type: Meaty Mediterranean Lunches
Serves: 4 peppers
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground lamb or beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 TB. minced garlic
- 3 TB. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- [1/4] cup plus 2 TB. fresh basil, chopped
- 2[1/2] tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 (16-oz.) can plain tomato sauce
- 1 TB. sugar
- 4 large green, red, yellow, or orange sweet bell peppers
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown lamb for 5 minutes, breaking up chunks with a wooden spoon.
- Add yellow onion, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, tomato, carrot, [1/4] cup basil, 1[1/2] teaspoons salt, black pepper, and turmeric, and cook for 7 minutes.
- Add long-grain rice and 2 cups water to the skillet, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a 2-quart pot over medium heat, combine tomato sauce, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 2 tablespoons basil, remaining 1 cup water, and sugar. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
- Cut off tops of green bell peppers, and remove ribs and seeds. Stand peppers in a 8x8-inch casserole dish (if they won't stand, trim them slightly so they will), and fill each with about 1 cup rice mixture.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the casserole dish from the oven, and reduce the temperature to 400ºF.
- Spoon tomato sauce over each bell pepper and into the casserole dish. Add pepper tops to peppers, cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil, bake for 20 minutes.
- Let peppers rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Healthy Hint
You can make this recipe healthier by using brown rice instead of long-grain rice. The brown rice adds a more earthy taste and texture.
You can make this recipe healthier by using brown rice instead of long-grain rice. The brown rice adds a more earthy taste and texture.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 pepper Calories: 447 Fat: 24g Saturated fat: 7g Carbohydrates: 33g Sodium: 1,865mg Fiber: 6g Protein: 25g Cholesterol: 66mg