MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS

MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS image

Categories Poultry

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 11

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6 medium green bell peppers, or use a variety of colored peppers
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup) (reserve remaining 1/2 onion for tomorrow night's recipe)
1 lb. ground chicken, turkey or beef or vegetarian "ground meat"
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning or 1 tsp. dried basil and 1 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup couscous + 1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the tops off of the peppers and scoop out the seeds and ribs. In a large pot, steam the peppers in an inch of water for 3 - 5 minutes, or microwave them on high heat for 5 - 7 minutes until they are slightly tender. Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions, meat (if you are using vegetarian "meat", add it after the tomatoes) and pine nuts (optional) for 8 - 10 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sugar, couscous, water, and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet and simmer it for about 5 minutes until the couscous is tender. Stir in the salt (optional). Stand the peppers in a flat baking dish just large enough to hold them. Using a ladle or large spoon, fill the peppers with the meat sauce. If there is any extra, the peppers can overflow or pour it around the bottoms of the peppers. Bake the peppers for about 30 minutes until they are tender and starting to wrinkle or brown at the tops. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. (Alternatively, cover them tightly and freeze them for up to 3 months.)