Exciting news! I created a recipe index on the main webpage for the newsletter! It has all of the recipes I’ve posted thus far organized by category. So now, if you need an idea for dinner, or you’re trying to remember which newsletter had the Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Cake, you can just click the Recipe Index button…
I’ll keep it updated as we go along so you can more easily find what you’re looking for. Happy recipe hunting!
Now on to this week’s new recipe - Italian Style Stuffed Peppers!
A while back, one of the social media groups I’m in had someone saying they were serving stuffed peppers for dinner, but what should be the side dish? I immediately typed in “Mashed Potatoes!” as my response. Then I really thought about it. Mashed potatoes? Really? To go with stuffed peppers that already have rice in them? Are they going to think I’m crazy?
Here’s the thing - that’s what I grew up with and never once thought it was strange. Having stuffed peppers for dinner? We’re also having mashed potatoes. As odd at it sounds, it works! And still, to this day, if I’m having stuffed peppers, I want mashed potatoes.
It got me thinking about all the things we do for no other reason than “that’s what mom did”.
If a dish comes out of the cabinet at my mother-in-law’s, it goes in the dishwasher whether we used it or not. When I ask her why she does that, she simply responds, “because my mom did”.
My father-in-law likes the combination of spaghetti with a baked potato on the side - because that’s how his mom served it.
I know people who keep a can of cooking grease or bacon drippings under the counter - because that’s what mom did.
Before I worried about things like salmonella, I would put the egg shells back in the carton with the other eggs and back in the fridge. When asked why I didn’t just throw them away, it was always, “I don’t know, mom always did it this way.”
The list could go on and on, and I’m sure if you thought about it, you could come up with your own additions. Makes me wonder what weird things my own Kiddo will do as an adult just because I do them now…
Anyway, back to the recipe at hand - whether you serve these stuffed peppers (recipe below) with mashed potatoes or just a simple salad, you should make them! Sweet bell peppers are stuffed to the brim with a filling made of ground beef and sausage, rice, tomatoes, italian seasonings, and plenty of cheese. Bonus points for being a make-ahead option. Bonus, bonus points for being eaily freeze-able.
MONDAY - Greek-inspired Meatballs and Yellow Rice with Tzatziki
I’m going to try some meatballs with greek flavors including lots of fresh herbs and feta cheese in the meatball and serve them with yellow rice, tzatziki, and a cucumber-tomato salad. Leftovers will be great stuffed into a pita pocket bread!
TUESDAY - BBQ Chicken, Cheesy Potato Gratin, and Corn on the Cob
Baked in the oven or done on the grill, we love homemade BBQ sauce slathered all over chicken thighs. And for some reason something cheesy always sounds good with BBQ - this time I’ll go with a potato gratin. Also, corn season is in full swing, and we are taking advantage of it!
WEDNESDAY - Ground Beef Tacos
Taco Tuesday but on a Wednesday! I just have a busy day planned and need something easy for dinner. Ground beef with homemade taco seasoning makes a fast filling for either corn or flour tortillas. Fresh toppings on the side.
THURSDAY - Chicken Lo Mein
I’ll defrost extra chicken thighs when we do BBQ and slice a couple into strips to go in a “fake-out take-out” type dinner. A simple sauce is easily made from pantry staples, and I’ll stir fry some napa cabbage and carrots to bump up the veggies. (Plus a stir fry type dinner is a great way to use the six random green beans I picked from the garden!)
FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY - Dad’s Birthday Weekend!
Dad has a big birthday this week! My brother and family are coming into town for the weekend to celebrate with lots of good food and pool time. We’re planning homemade pizzas one night (we got dad an Ooni pizza oven a couple of years ago and it’s lots of fun!) and then a grill night with ribs and whatever else strikes our fancy at the farmers’ market. Homemade cherry pie and vanilla ice cream for birthday dessert!
LUNCHES for this week -
I’m going to have to stick with cold, fresh lunches - this heat is getting to me! I’m thinking tuna salad and sliced garden tomatoes. Or maybe cucumber salads with roasted chickpeas and leftover tzatziki sauce.
EXTRAS for this week
I had some good requests/suggestions come in last week from readers, and I already have a whole sheet of scratch paper filled with ideas! This week I’m going to play a little with air fryer ideas and test out some new vegetarian things.
Italian-Style Stuffed Peppers
Makes 10-12 stuffed pepper halves.
· 5-6 Sweet Bell Peppers
· 2 cups White Rice, cooked according to package directions and set aside
· 1 pound Ground Beef
· 1 pound Ground Italian Sausage
· 1 teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· 1 small-medium Onion, diced
· 3 cloves Garlic, minced
· 2 cans (14 ounces each) Diced Tomatoes
· 1 tablespoon dried Basil
· 1 tablespoon dried Oregano
· ½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
· 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
Prep the peppers – Preheat oven to 350 and arrange a rack in the top third. Cut each pepper in half lengthwise through the stem to make two equal halves. Remove the stem, ribs, and seeds. Place each pepper half cut side down on a large, rimmed baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes until just beginning to soften. Set aside to cool.
Make the stuffing mixture – In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and sausage with the salt, breaking the pieces up with your spoon, until almost all of the pink is gone. Add the onions and continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are cooked through. Drain the meat mixture and place in a large bowl.
To the bowl with the meat, add the cooked rice, minced garlic, diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, and pepper. Stir well to combine. Mix in one cup of the mozzarella and one-half cup of the parmesan.
Coat a 9x13 baking dish (or a couple of smaller pans if you want to save one in the freezer) with non-stick spray. Stuff each cooked and cooled pepper half with some of the filling, pressing it in to reach all the corners. Mound a little extra filling on top (to give it an “over-stuffed” look), and place the pepper into the baking dish. Top each pepper with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
To refrigerate for later – cover the baking dish and refrigerate until ready to bake. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 with a rack in the middle position. Uncover the dish and bake for 35-40 minutes, until cheese is melted and browned in some places.
To cook now – preheat the oven to 350 and arrange a rack in the upper third. Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and browned in some places.
NOTE – The stuffed peppers freeze well. To cook, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then follow the “refrigerate for later” directions above. Also, you may have some filling left. If so, I usually just save it in the freezer for a quick meal down the road.
CHANGE IT UP - Swap the ground beef and sausage for white beans or chickpeas (for protein) and add other hearty veggies like mushrooms and zucchini for a vegetarian version!
That’s all for now, thanks for reading! See you back here next week!
(Don’t forget you can see all of the past newsletters and recipes at the archive link below!)
All recipes categorized by type can be found in the index!