My grandmother’s birthday is next week, and there’s nothing she would love more than to sink her teeth into her favorite stuffed peppers. Unfortunately, since suffering a major stroke, she hasn’t been able to enjoy many of her favorite foods. However, in honor of my beloved grandma, who taught me so much about cooking and the importance of good nutrition, I’m sharing these simple and ethnic-inspired stuffed pepper recipes:
GREEK STUFFED PEPPERS
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves crushed garlic to taste
2 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup chopped Greek olives
3 cups canned, crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (to taste)
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
6 large yellow/red peppers, cored and tops removed
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground beef and onion with olive oil until no longer pink. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Stir in garlic and saute 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes, rice, mint, cinnamon, olives and half of the feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Place peppers in a greased pan and fill each pepper with meat and rice mixture. Sprinkle additional feta and parsley on top. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 25 minutes, until peppers start to get soft.
Remove foil and bake an extra 10 to 15 minutes.
Serves 6.
MEXICAN STUFFED PEPPERS
Ingredients:
4 medium peppers, red, green or yellow
1 pound ground beef
1/4 chopped onion
1/2 package taco seasoning mix
1 cup water
2 cups cooked white rice
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped tomato
2 tablespoons sliced black olives
Fresh chopped cilantro
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the taco seasoning mix and water. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until liquid is almost gone. Add rice and salsa.
Place pepper halves in a greased baking dish. Fill with meat mixture. Top with cheese.
Bake uncovered for 15 minutes until peppers are tender.
Top with sour cream, cilantro, black olives and tomato before serving.
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