Stuffed Peppers, Redux

Italian Stuffed Peppers with caesar salad

I had this conversation with my dad today.  Him: "How did the stuffed peppers turn out?" Me: "Well, they just tasted....healthy."


Normally this is not a bad thing.  Generally, I like things that taste lighter and allow each individual ingredient to say a few lines in the meal play.  Don't get me wrong--I love a deep-fried, cheese-filled, ranch or mayo-dipped thing as much or more than the next girl.  But these are more like every-once-in-a-while treats.  If I eat like that day-in, day-out, I start to feel like that kind of food--greasy, heavy, fatty, tired.  When I started trying to eat healthier a few years back, I remembered that when you eat well, you honestly do feel better.  If I choose a salad, lean protein and fruit over a cheeseburger takeout, I spend my afternoon with energy and balance, instead of craving a nap.  It's bizarre--one of the things that helps to reinforce in my mind that being healthy isn't always a downer--it actually feels good, too.  Likewise, when I get into one of my many, many bad moods, spending 45 minutes or so on the treadmill or in a weight/circuit class really does wonders to bring me out of it--something A thanks his lucky stars for.  

Mise-en-place, or stuff already chopped up already.

(Side note: apparently I'm trying to wear out the hyphen key on my keyboard today, in a move blatantly unappreciative of the many other punctuation options it affords me...like the ellipsis!)


So why am I complaining about these Italian Stuffed Peppers?  Were they bad? No, they were actually kind of nice.  Light but still filling, bursting with veggies and brown rice, grounded with a bit of leftover Italian sausage, Parmesan cheese and Sockarooni pasta sauce.  I don't know, I guess I just expected more...flavor.  But then I got to thinking about it, and I started to see instantly where I went wrong.  Instead of the traditional tomato sauce binder, I got all fancy and used fresh tomatoes and chicken stock (homemade), so that I could cook the brown rice right in the mixture.  While convenient, this resulted in a thinner, waterier binder, instead of the super-concentrated tomato flavor from commercial canned sauce.  

A favorite pot--a Le Creuset handed down from my dad, who I think got it from his mom...

I also left out most of the meat, replacing 1 lb ground beef with 1/4 (or less) lb Italian sausage, and using summer squash to fill in the missing meat. Now, you know that summer squash/zucchini isn't the most flavorsome vegetable out there. While I appreciated having the extra veggie flavor note, it would have been better alongside, instead of instead of. I did use a little provelone cheese, hoping that its smoky flavor would amplify the rice stuffing.  It didn't, really.  I barely noticed it or the chunk of parmeggiano-reggiano rind that I boiled in the sauce/broth/stuffing while the rice was cooking.  

It wants to be good.  It really does.

Overall, despite my un-enthusiasm for the finished product, I still am not giving up hope on this recipe.  I think I made some bone-head decisions that sacrificed flavor for no good reason, so I'm going to just modify the recipe (after the jump) so that I think it would come out much better next time.  And, really, maybe next time I overindulge in a deep-fried, cheese-filled, mayonaise-dipped feast, this recipe's healthful worth will be viewed in an entirely new light, or at least a way to loosen up the ol' arteries for a day or two.  






Italian Stuffed Green Peppers

• 4 Green peppers (or as many as you have.  I used several in several different sizes, as you can see)
• 1 lb  90-95% lean ground beef (Sirloin, preferably)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup diced zucchini/summer squash
• 1 tsp dried basil 
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 cups canned tomato sauce (2 8-oz cans)

 

Slice off tops of green peppers (or slice large ones in half) and remove seeds and membranes.  Wash & set aside.  

Sauté hamburger until browned, then drain, reserve, and return pan to heat.  Heat a small amount of olive oil, then saute onion, zucchini and garlic until starting to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add tomato paste and basil and cook until color deepens, 2 minutes.  Stir in rice, stock, and tomatoes; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is soft and liquid is absorbed.  Mix in  lemon juice, cooked ground beef, 1 cup tomato sauce, and parmesan cheese; season with S&P 

Pack the meat/rice mixture into peppers and arrange in casserole or deep baking dish.  Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers and sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Bake, uncovered, in preheated 375° F oven until tender but not mushy.  (About 30-40  minutes.)