fresh mozzarella stuffed cheesy bell peppers

Recipe by
Rose Mary Mogan
Sauk Village, IL

This recipe came to be from bargains found @ the Farmers Market. Since this recipe requires a bit of attention I wanted to make some extra to freeze. The portions are very generous so you can make even more than I made. I wanted these to be a bit different from my original recipe, & decided to stuff these with Fresh Mozzarella on the inside & top them with Sharp cheddar on the outside. The flavor of the combined spices made this a very memorable meal, & one that my housekeeper especially loved. I could only eat a half of one, but she enjoyed the entire pepper, Hubby ate two. They are great.

yield serving(s)
prep time 45 Min
cook time 1 Hr 30 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For fresh mozzarella stuffed cheesy bell peppers

  • 3 1/2-4 lb
    ground chuck
  • 1 c
    sweet onions, chopped
  • 1 can
    diced tomatoes, undrained 14 1/2 oz
  • 2 can
    tomato soup (10 3/4 oz each)
  • 2 pkg
    onion soup mix
  • 1 md
    bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 lg
    eggs, room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp
    granulated garlic, good quality
  • 2 c
    minute maid rice, uncooked
  • 2 c
    fresh bread crumbs
  • 1 Tbsp
    dried basil
  • 1 Tbsp
    chili powder
  • 2 tsp
    cumin
  • 8 oz
    fresh mozzarella, sliced thick
  • 1 1/2 c
    freshly shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1 c
    sharp cheddar cheese shreds
  • 7 lg
    bell peppers, cut in half
  • TOMATO SAUCE TOPPING
  • 1 can
    diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 jar
    pasta sauce 24-28 ounces each
  • 1 Tbsp
    brown sugar, firmly packed, optional
  • 2 tsp
    granulated garlic
  • 2 tsp
    dried basil

How To Make fresh mozzarella stuffed cheesy bell peppers

  • 1
    Wash core and seed peppers, then cut in half length wise, this allows you to get more meat into the cavity of the pepper. Add the halves to a microwave safe bowl.
  • 2
    Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water to bowl, then cover bowl tightly with saran wrap, then microwave for about 5 to 7 minutes depending on how large the peppers are. This helps the peppers to soften for easier cooking.
  • 3
    Now using a very large bowl add in the ground beef & chopped onions.
  • 4
    These are some of the remaining ingredients. I had to use an additional jar of pasta sauce as well as granulated garlic and Dried basil.
  • 5
    Add to the meat the spices, the chopped green pepper, the uncooked rice, & bread crumbs, as well as both cans of tomato soup, onion soup mix. Then stir till mixture is evenly blended together.
  • 6
    Now add in the eggs, and freshly shredded Parmesan cheese , and stir to mix together.
  • 7
    Spray casserole dish with non stick cooking spray, then drain the peppers and add to the large 9 X 15 size casserole dish, I also had to use an additional pan for the remaining stuffed peppers. Cut the fresh Mozzarella into thick slices then cut each slice in half and stuff half slice into each pepper filled with ground beef, by making a well or deep hole in center of beef and filling with the fresh mozzarella.Then smooth over the hole of cheese with the meat, so that it is not visible.
  • 8
    Combine all of the sauce ingredients into a medium bowl, then using a large spoon , spoon the sauce mixture over each stuffed pepper. Then cover tightly with a lid or foil, and place in preheated 350 degree oven.
  • 9
    Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, then remove lid or foil and top each pepper with an equal amount of shredded cheese. Return to oven for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
  • 10
    Remove from oven and serve while still hot with your favorite sides. We had Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes and Stir Fried squash & Zucchini.

Categories & Tags for FRESH MOZZARELLA STUFFED CHEESY BELL PEPPERS:

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