My Stuffed Peppers

Memo, Jenna, Liz & Brett - 11/1982

It is funny how you learn a recipe that ends up defining a time in your life or a place where you lived. Stuffed Peppers is just one of those recipes! As many of you know, I lived in Mexico for 10 years. Upon our return, Jorge, Memo and Liz along with our dogs Yako and Tana, lived in North Tonawanda, NY. We settled into our rented home in the fall of 1982. North Tonawanda was a depressed town during those years. The steel mills that had kept that area of the country employed, closed up and moved to the southern US States. Many families were moving, while others unable to do so, struggled to make ends meet.

Liz helping Nana cook Thanksgiving Dinner - 1982

We lived next to a family of 6 and the woman worked while her husband took on the responsibilities around the house and job searched. I remember her complaining that they were going to have "stuffed peppers" AGAIN, for dinner. She told me that it was easy for her husband to make, the kids liked it and it was inexpensive to make! She shared her recipe with me! I think I have changed it up some since then...but it still reminds me of North Tonawanda!

Memo's 9th Birthday Party - ET Party Theme!

The funny thing about this recipe, is that it has become a favorite also for both of my kids. I have made it for Dave as well, he loves it but only if I don't use green peppers!!!

My Stuffed Peppers

6 plump peppers - green, red, orange or yellow will work
1 lb. ground beef, turkey or chicken 
Rice - 3 cups cooked - instant rice, reg rice or brown rice will work
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion - finely diced
1 can of diced/stewed tomates
Worcestershire Sauce
Pepper to taste
3 cans of Tomato Soup
2 cups cheddar cheese (or any other melting cheese you prefer)

While you are preparing the peppers, put some salted water in a large pot to boil. One of the most important things about making stuffed peppers is to make the peppers "standable"! They need to stand up in the casserole dish and not fall over. At the top of the pepper, slice off the top and clean out the seeds, dissgard. Now stand up the pepper. If it wobbles, slice a little off the bottom WITHOUT cutting any holes into the bottom of the pepper. (We don't want it leaking the goodness out!)
Once you have done that with all the peppers, place them into the boiling water for about 5 minutes. We want them tender but not wilted! After 5 minutes of a hard boil, removed open side down to drain out any water.

In a deep frying pan or pot, add the olive oil and onion to medium heat. Once the onions become transparent, add the meat. Saute until brown. Add the can of diced/stewed tomatoes, Worcestershire Sauce and pepper to taste. When well combined and seasoned, add one can of the tomato soup stir, 1 cup of shredded cheese and then add your rice. Be gentle and fold in the rice so it does not mush!

Arrange the peppers in a deep casserole dish. Then scoop your rice and meat mixture into each pepper. I like using an ice cream scoop with the release button. It allows me to add about the same amount of mixture to each pepper.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1-2 cans of tomato soup with 1/4 water. Once the peppers are filled to the top, filled the pepper with a handful of shredded cheese. Now pour the remaining tomato soup mixture aroung the bottoms of the peppers in the casserole dish. Cover with foil for 45 minutes then uncover. If you "tent-up" the foil a little, the cheese will not stick to the foil.

Bake 350* for 1 hour. Less time with convection oven.