Beef and Rice–Stuffed Bell Peppers with Tomato Sauce

Beef and Rice–Stuffed Bell Peppers with Tomato Sauce

6
Points®
Total Time
1 hr 12 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
45 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Filling and flavorful, these stuffed sweet bell peppers are pretty too. The cool, creamy garnish and warm sauce provide an interesting contrast. Fresh bell peppers are available throughout the year and come in a variety of colors: green, yellow, orange, red, and even purple. While it is true that some bell peppers start off green before ripening to a different color, don't think that the large green bell peppers in the supermarket are simply underripe ones. Many bell peppers start out the color that they will remain to maturity. Many green peppers are fully ripe and are grown specifically for their verdant hue.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

2 spray(s)

Uncooked long grain brown rice

½ cup(s), (or 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice)

Uncooked 95% lean ground beef

1 pound(s)

Red onion

1 small, finely chopped

Ground allspice

1 tsp

Paprika

1 tsp

Table salt

¾ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp

Ground cinnamon

¼ tsp

Dill

¼ cup(s), chopped fresh

Fresh parsley

¼ cup(s), chopped

Bell pepper

4 item(s), medium, large, assorted colors, halved lengthwise and seeded

Garlic

1 clove(s), minced

Canned salted tomato puree

2 cup(s), or strained tomatoes

Plain fat free Greek yogurt

½ cup(s)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray large shallow baking pan with cooking spray. Cook the rice according to package directions.
  2. Combine the cooked rice, beef, onion, allspice, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons dill, and 2 tablespoons parsley in large bowl.
  3. Spoon the beef mixture evenly into the bell pepper halves. Arrange the peppers in single layer in the prepared baking pan. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until peppers are tender, about 15 minutes more.
  4. When the peppers are almost done, spray a small saucepan with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato puree, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
  5. Divide the peppers evenly among 4 plates, top evenly with the yogurt, the remaining 2 tablespoons dill, and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley. Serve with sauce.
  6. Per serving (2 stuffed pepper halves, 1/2 cup sauce, and 2 tablespoons yogurt)

Notes

Save time and skip cooking the brown rice for this recipe. Pick up ready-cooked rice at the supermarket or from Chinese takeout instead.