Sweet and Zesty Stuffed Peppers

I LOVE stuffed peppers!  I really do!  Growing up I always looked forward to the nights we had them for dinner.  However, I have to confess that I have not made them as an adult.  But, the other day when I was making up my weekly menu I thought stuffed peppers, YES, I want stuffed peppers.  I, of course, called my dad and asked him how he made his.  Then, I got online and did a little research of my own.  The one thing I found is that either people were simply using ketchup or pouring a can of tomato soup over them.  Now, both of those options are fine, but I just wanted more so I decided to head into my kitchen and experiment with some flavors.  What I ended up with is some of the most flavorful stuffed peppers I have ever eaten!  I KNOW you are going to love them So let's get started!

Sweet and Zesty Stuffed Peppers:

*Prep Time: 15 min. *Cook Time: 1 hour *Difficulty:  Easy  *Servings: 4 

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Green Peppers
• 1 lb. of Ground Beef
• 1 Onion, finely diced
• 2 c. Ketchup
• 1 c. Chicken Stock
• 1 c. Rice, cooked
• 1/2 c. Bread Crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. Milk
• 2 tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp. Garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp. Basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. Sirracha 
• Salt and Pepper

To begin you will need to preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Then, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.

Add the rice to the boiling water, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until done.

While the rice is cooking you can combine the ketchup, sirracha, basil, oregano, a splash of Worcestershire.
The reason I used ketchup instead of tomato soup or sauce here is because of all of the flavor and seasonings the ketchup already has is in.  It would take way to much time to recreate that from scratch, so when you can cut those flavor corners, do it!

Add the chicken stock (or in my case water and Chicken bouillon).

Whisk everything together and set to the side.

Now it is time to focus on the meat mixture.
In a mixing bowl combine the ground beef, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, milk, egg, salt, and pepper.

Mix everything together.

Now you can add the cooked rice.

Using a rubber spatula, mix the rice into the meat mixture.

For the peppers, cut them in half from top to bottom.
Remove all of the seeds and ribs.
Rinse well and salt the inside.

Finally we can start baking!
In your baking dish, spread a think layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill the pepper halves with the meat mixture.

Then pour the remaining sauce over them.

Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, remove from the oven and let the peppers set for 10 minutes.

And there you have it!
The meat in these peppers is light and fluffy.  The sauce, OH MAN, so bold and zesty with the perfect sweet balance.  This ain't yo momma's stuffed peppers FO SHO!  If your family liked your stuffed peppers before, they will love them now! And if you have never tried stuffed peppers in the past, get ready for a new family favorite!  These will not disappoint!

As always,

Happy Reading, Happy Eating, and Happy Living,
~The Kitchen Wife~