Stuffed Peppers

So the hubbs was craving stuffed peppers the other night so (not knowing he wanted stuffed bell peppers) I found this nifty recipe for Stuffed Peppers! I'm going to admit that not only was I a tad skeptical, I was also slightly terrified. I think I always get that way before making a new recipe though. Is that weird? Either way, let's get to it!

*Below is the original recipe used*

**Pictures are added at the end of the instructions. Following the pictures will be revision recommendations if interested**

Here you'll need:

• 3 T cooking oil
• 1 c chopped celery (about 2-3 if you cut them in half, then chop them)
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 lb. breakfast sausage (for this, I used the long sausage...not the patty kind)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/3 c freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 1 T hot sauce 
• 1/4 c bread crumbs
• 20 Anaheim or Poblano peppers, cut in half and seeds removed ( I used Poblano) 

In a saute pan over medium-high heat add the oil. Once heated add the celery, bell peppers and onion and saute for about 8 minutes. Add sausage and garlic and brown. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Take off heat and stir in parsley, hot sauce and bread crumbs. Let cool. 

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Stuff peppers with vegetable and cheese mixture and bake for 15 minutes or grill until char develops. 

Cook Time: 15 minutes; Level: Easy; Yields: 8 to 10 servings 

The stuffing mix with everything added and slightly cooled. Basically, the end result if you use above ingredients.  Don't let looks fool you, it was pretty yummy on its own.

The peppers stuffed and ready for the oven. Not the prettiest, but the end result was fantastic!










Now for revisions

1. I would use 1/2 lb. of ground beef instead because silly me bought this in the pre-made, ready-to-cook packet and it was a hassle getting the meat out of the meat tube...which is why the Mister did it.
2. I would prepare the celery, onion, and bell pepper earlier in the day that way I could just jump right into the cooking.
3. On that note, I would also use those 8 minutes to prepare the peppers. Go for the ones as symmetrical as you can find them. As you can see, some of them were pinched which made it difficult to stuff and therefore more time consuming.
4. Whatever pan you use to hold the stuffed peppers ( I used a 13x9 in. baking pan), line that sucker with foil!! It won't affect the cooking and that will be one less thing you have clean.
5. Let the cream cheese sit out ( I just opened it when I started cooking and left it alone until I needed it) that way it will melt slightly faster.
6. Use a large pan!!! We used a medium-sized pan and it was a pain! So just do yourself a favor and use the extra space.

**Side Note: The spiciness of the peppers do not come from the seeds, it comes from the veins. Therefore, if you are like me and do not care too much for the burning sensations that comes with eating peppers, make sure you remove those white veins!! If you are like the Mister and *do* like a little spice in your life, then you can either leave them in or partially remove them.**

I can honestly say that, including prep time, this was quite a bit longer than 15 minutes. That being said along with my revisions, its still a super easy recipe to make and it did a great job feeding just the two of us.

[[This recipe was courtesy of Dwain Matelski from the Food Network Challenge; Episode: Challenge: Texas Steak Cook-Off. For this recipe visit Food Network Stuffed Peppers]]