chalyse posted
I think the secret to this peppers recipes is 1) it is very easy to make and, 2) covering the peppers with tin foil before putting in the oven for most of the cooking time. The peppers stayed a wonderful green, were firm but not raw or too crunchy, and when you cut into them they oozed goodness into each bite of the meat filling - and I normally hate green peppers!
We're still hunting around for a Mostaccioli recipe that uses sausage if anyone finds one to recommend.
Here's the original recipe, since we did substitute for what we had on hand and some personal taste preferences:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/c...
Chef John's Stuffed Peppers - made with some substitutions
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice (we used a package of cooked broccoli rice mix)
2 cups water
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (we used rice wine vinegar)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound lean ground beef (we used mild pork sausage)
1/4 pound hot Italian pork sausage, casing removed
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes (based on reviews, and DH's preference, we used a pizza sauce)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
4 large green bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (we used shredded Chedder and loved it)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Bring rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Set the cooked rice aside.
3. Cook onion and olive oil over medium heat until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Transfer half of cooked onion to a large bowl and set aside.
4. Stir tomato sauce, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, and red pepper flakes into the skillet; cook and stir for 1 minute.
5. Pour tomato sauce mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
6. Combine ground beef, Italian sausage, diced tomatoes, Italian parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper into bowl with reserved onions; mix well. Stir in cooked rice and Parmigiano Reggiano. Stuff green bell peppers with beef and sausage mixture.
7. Place stuffed green bell pepper halves in the baking dish over tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano, cover baking dish with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
8. Remove aluminum foil and bake until the meat is no longer pink, the green peppers are tender and the cheese is browned on top, an addition 20 to 25 minutes.