Not Your Mama's Peppers!

I have never been a fan of stuffed bell peppers. First off green bell peppers don't like me & are completely out of the question - I avoid them like my life depends on it. Red, yellow or orange bells are ok, but I'm SUPER picky about them. Basically my experience with stuffed bells has been slimy exteriors and bland (or worse, over-salted) mushy interiors. All topped by flavorless, sometimes burnt tomato sauce. No thanks! 

Well, recently my husband and I have been trying to do weekly meal planning every Friday night. It helps to make sure we buy only what we need, and has made the dinner hour less stressful since there is no frazzled effort to figure out what to make with 3 little girls tugging at you. We have been eating way more fruits and veggies this way too. Anyhow, this week my husband suggested stuffed peppers during our menu planning discussion. He has some fond memories associated with them since his mom used to make them (the traditional way- he didn't think they were gross). Instead of running away in terror, I suggested we try them with a more modern twist. We dreamed up this recipe and I can now say I LOVE stuffed peppers. Well, MY stuffed peppers anyway! Hubby likes them too! 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup uncooked organic quinoa 

2 cups chicken stock

5 mild Italian sausages, casings removed

1 jar Trader Joe's bruschetta sauce

1 cup fresh spinach, finely chopped

zest of 1 lemon

4 orange bell peppers

canola oil

Garnish: shredded hard cheese like Romano or Parmesan. (Hubby & I both agree that a slice of provolone or shredded mozzarella would be a tasty subsitute)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

2) Rinse 1 cup quinoa in running water for several minutes. Then add to a sauce pan with 2 cups of stock. Cook according to package directions.

3) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, crumble and brown the sausage. Turn off the heat. Drain any grease. Strain and rinse the cooked sausage quickly under warm water to remove excess grease. Return to the pan, but do not turn on the heat.

4) Add cooked quinoa, chopped spinach, bruschetta sauce, and lemon zest to the skillet with the sausage. Stir to combine.

5) Cut bell peppers in 1/2, stem to bottom. Remove all seeds and ribs.

6) Generously oil a 9 x 13 baking pan. Place peppers cut side up. Par-bake in the oven for 20 minutes. (That's right - no filling yet!)

7) Remove peppers from the oven. Generously fill peppers with the sausage filling and top with shredded cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Served with a salad and a piece of crusty bread for a super tasty dinner!