I have been on a slow cooker kick for the past couple of weeks. Pretty much every night, I have made something for dinner in my slow cooker. It’s so easy to throw a bunch of ingredients in while Kayleigh naps in the morning, and then by the time John gets home from work, we have an amazing meal waiting for us, with very little clean up! I also get to sit here and smell whatever’s cooking all day, which is pretty awesome I must say.
Today, I made stuffed peppers in the slow cooker. This was actually the very first time I have ever had stuffed peppers. Can you believe that?! And, wow, have I ever been missing out! This recipe is definitely going in the vault for future reference! Just look at all that beautiful stuffing…mmmm!
Ingredients
- 6 Large Bell Peppers (I like to use an assortment of colors)
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- ½ cup onion, diced very finely (unless you like chunky onions in your meal – I don’t)
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup instant white rice
- 1 cup beef stock
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1½ cup shredded Sharp White Cheddar cheese, divided
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- In a small pot, bring beef stock to a boil. Turn stove burner off, add instant rice to beef stock, cover and set aside.
- Cut off the top of each pepper, pull out any remaining stem and scrape out the seeds and membranes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, rice, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, 1 cup of Shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Stuff each pepper with ground beef mixture.
- Pour 1/4 cup of water into bottom of slow cooker and place peppers on top.
- Cook peppers on low for 6 hours, or high for 4 hours, until peppers are tender and ground beef is cooked through.
- About 15 minutes before peppers are done, sprinkle remaining shredded cheese on top to melt.
Is the ground beef supposed to be raw?
I just love these recipes…
Mediocre recipe at best. Yes,it might be a great “easy,beginner recipe” but it’s completely country/”American” BASIC,taste wise.
SPICES,are what literally give food flavor.Your list is a good,BASIC recipe.
Small,simple additions could make it MUCH better. (Tuti bene)
#1 add an egg to your meat/ onion mix prior to proceeding. (Rando shortcut: add half of a beefy onion soup mix packet to meat mix)
#2 Spices & seasonings dear lord!! You’d never add a can of pureed tomatoes to pasta & expect it to taste like spaghetti!!! (or rather WHO wants to eat JUST “green peppers,beef & a couple tiny tomatoes??”) Apologies,this was my deceased father’s favorite meal so I truly take insult when it’s done so… haphazardly.
#3 Yes, this is a good BASE of a recipe if you prefer bland hospital food. If not:(all sizes dependent in quantity,*I’d hope you’d assume*).. but w/THIS recipe:I’d simmer the tomatoes in a sauce pan 1st (OR JUST the sauce in the crock for a few hrs),yes the cooking/marinating time does wonders for the TASTE),I’d add 2Tbs of Italian seasoning,salt & pepper, pinch of sugar,2Tbs of garlic powder (fresh is always better, if you have it)& a Tbs of oregano.You could crock or simmer the sauce,but it really NEEDS to be done before/w/o peppers to taste good. Good sauce takes time;no short cuts. Likewise,1 can of diced tomatoes??? Bahahaha sure, if you like dry ground beef & rice in a GP shell. For 6 green peppers: even in a crock (w/water) you should use at least 2-3 cans of diced or any combo of tomato/spaghetti sauce/ marinara, w/e suits your fancy.(Obviously some of those need more seasoning help than others). You could even go w/a couple cans of Rotel if you were feeling spicy.
#3 Personally,I prefer to pan fry ground beef so I am able to drain off any/ all/as much as possible grease. Obvious death trap to me but… either way, cooked meat should be added to sauce ASAP to really absorb the flavors; rice to be quickly followed (same reasons).
#4 Honestly add the seasonings I suggested& this could be a decent crock recipe MINUS the green peppers. But WAIT:
Essentially that recipe…. THEN stuff peppers w/the other ingredients & bake 375°~30 OR make sauce/filler the night before (then let them sit in fe crock for 4hrs). Assuming you’d prefer what crap could be bought frozen version for <$7 vs super yummy "mama's signature"…
Don't intentionally try to sound mean but I was raised by 5☆ Italian Michelin chefs; knowing the American pallet+their skills=I TRY to meet between. Pt being: trust the sauce is #1. The longer you let it marinate, coagulate, simmer,ect= the better the sauce tastes. The better the sauce=the better w/e is going on.
Apologies for my novel. This is honestly a good basic/beginners recipe. However, I'm a firm believer that even a beginner can get/take daggone spice/seasonings suggestions. I JUST stumbled on THIS randomly
I'm no Gordon Ramsey but truly a few seasonings & spices could/would majorly up your cooking game… to up your husband, wife, partner or potential's interest.
Good luck. Ciao