My Mama's Stuffed Peppers

Credit: My mama

Back story: as a kid, stuffed peppers was a favorite dish of mine. Originally stuffed with ground beef, my mom - amazing woman that she is – created a vegetarian version for me. These are a go-to comfort food when I need a reminder of home and/or a hug from my mom.

Tidbit: The rice and beans combined make this a complete protein - great for my fellow veg-heads!

• Vegetarian  (can easily be made vegan)

• Gluten Free

Equipment:

• Cutting board

• Knife

• 5qt pot/sauce pan

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups of cooked brown rice (1 cup uncooked rice).

• 2.5 cups of cooked garbanzo beans (I soak dried beans overnight and cook in pressure cooker, though you can use 2 cans of beans [rinsed and drained] if easier)

• 1 teaspoon of oregano

• 1 teaspoon of dried chili flakes

• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

• ¾ cup of freshly grated Parmesan/Reggiano cheese (remove to make vegan)

• 6 medium to large sized bell peppers (I prefer green, but get crazy and use the other colored peppers for flavor diversity)

Steps:

1. Mix all ingredients, except bell peppers, in a large mixing bowl to make the stuffing. Adjust flavor to your liking by adding more spices

2. You can add other vegetables that you like, if desired. In the past, I have used tomatoes and mushrooms though I prefer this recipe with no other vegetables

3. Cut the stem tops of the bell peppers off while retaining the structure of the pepper. Remove the stem tops and clean inside of the pepper.

4. Stuff the peppers with the rice/bean stuffing. Pack the stuffing to the pepper brim

5. When all peppers are full, gently place them – top up - in a pot that is about half full with marinara sauce (see My Mama’s Marinara recipe). Once peppers are all in, add more marinara to cover as much of the pepper as possible, without overflowing the pot.

6. Increase heat so bring the sauce to a slight boil. Let peppers cook for up to one hour or until soft at the touch.

Notes:

I like my peppers doused in sauce so I really flood them with the marinara. If you prefer less sauce, just add less!