This recipe started out as stuffed peppers. Then I looked and realized I did not have as many peppers as I thought I did. And there in the bottom of the fridge, I spotted some gorgeous portobello mushroom caps that looked like they also needed to be stuffed. After they were done, we actually liked the stuffed portobellos better than the peppers, however they were both amazing. I topped these stuffed veggies with mozzarella cheese. My neighbor likes to top them with a tomato sauce, but we prefer cheese. I also think sauce and more cheese on top would be delicious too. For this recipe, I do not precook the peppers or mushrooms, because my family dislikes overcooked veggies. I do precook all the filling before stuffing the veggies and bake them just until the cheese is lightly browned. This cuts down on the cooking time and retains much of the crunch in the peppers. If you like soggy veggies, by all means boil them before stuffing.
Yield: Serves 4
8 green, yellow, and or red peppers, or 4 peppers and 4 mushroom caps
2 cups cooked rice
2 lb ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 small can tomato paste
1 can diced Italian tomatoes
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup Barefoot Merlot
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the mushrooms by wiping with a damp cloth, and brushing with olive oil. Sprinkle them with a little kosher salt and place in a baking dish. Prepare the bell peppers by cutting off the tops of the peppers and removing the insides and seeds of the peppers. Brush them with olive oil, and sprinkle the inside with kosher salt and place in a baking dish.
Cook the rice. Preheat a large skillet. Drizzle with olive oil. Add ground meat. Add kosher salt and pepper. Brown the ground meat. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the meat with additional kosher salt and pepper and cook until softened. Add oregano, basil, parsley. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire Sauce, and chopped tomatoes. Add red wine and mix well. Season again with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Then add the cooked rice and mix well.
You can now stuff your peppers and mushroom caps. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven until cheese is lightly browned, about 20-30 minutes.