Stuffed Peppers - Italian Style

Stuffed peppers are a Polish dish that I grew up with.  Bell peppers stuffed with beef and rice and a sauce made with tomato soup (that was my mom's way).  This is my Italian version of stuffed peppers using cubanelle or "Italian frying peppers".  They have a slight kick to them and are thin walled.

Yeah it's like 90 degrees and I'm still baking.  Crank up the AC!  You might think I'm looney tunes, but while this was baking, I was wishing we all had Smell-O-Blog!  After I took the peppers out of the oven and tossed in the garlic bread, I was just looking forward to this.

You will need:

• 1/3 cup Arborio rice
• Salt
• 6-8 cubanelle or Italian frying peppers
• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 lb. ground beef (or a mix of pork and beef)
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian Parsley
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried)
• 3 cups tomato sauce (see below)

Cook the Arborio rice in a saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente - about 12 minutes.  Drain and cool.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Prepare the peppers and start the filling;  Cut the stems from the peppers and scrape out the seeds and membranes with a teaspoon.  Heat 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Stir in the onion and cook, stirring, until onions start to caramelize.  Scrape the onion mixture into a bowl, add the ground beef, grated cheese, parsley, oregano and cooked rice and stir together until evenly blended.

Divide the filling among the peppers, using about 1/4 cup to fill each pepper loosely.  Rub the outside of the peppers lightly with the remaining tablespoon of olive, placing them in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish as you do so.  Roast the peppers, turning once or twice with tongs, until softened and lightly browned in spot, about 20 minutes.

Pour in enough of the tomato sauce barely to cover the peppers.  Cover the dish with foil and bake until the peppers are tender and the filling is cooked through; 30-40 minutes.  In the last ten minutes of cooking time, remove foil and sprinkle with a 4 cheese Italian blend, a sprinkle of oregano and a drizzle of olive oil.  Cook until browned and bubbly.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Tomato Sauce:  

•  1- 28 oz. can San Marzano whole tomatoes
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil  
• Pulse in food processor just a few times to break up tomatoes 

  Enjoy!
~Adapted from Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen

This recipe is linked up to What's Cooking Wednesday - Turning the Clock Back!

Polish Stuffed Peppers - Italian Style