Stuffed Peppers

Directions

Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).

Start with the rice. If you can make rice on the stove, that's fabulous! If you're like me, my rice cooker saved my life. Cook 1 cup of rice following directions on package or rice cooker.

While the rice is cooking, start chopping. Mince the garlic, peel and finely shred the ginger (discarding the fibrous parts that don't make it through the shredder) and set aside, and chop the basil. Put the meat in the mixing bowl, add the garlic, basil (2Tbsp), parsley, salt and pepper (about a tablespoon each).

Once rice is finished, add the shredded ginger. Mix together. Let cool. Once it is cool enough to be handled, add it into the mixing bowl. If you've made meatloaf before you know it's best to use your hands!! Go ahead, mix it up. If the rice is still hot you'll burn yourself so please please be careful!

Rinse the peppers and cut off the tops. Remove the seeds. Stand them upright onto a baking sheet (I cover baking sheet with foil for easy clean up). Some can't stand up on their own so sandwich it between two peppers, though it might fall over while baking- we can't be perfect every time.

Stuff the peppers, leaving about a half inch to an inch to the top. Shred some cheddar (about ¼ to a ½ cup) and fill it to the top. Cover the top of that with the tomato sauce.

Bake at 350℉ (180℃) for 45 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before eating.

*Helpful hints: -I only made 3 peppers and I froze the remaining filling, so if I want a quick dinner I just pull that out that morning or the night before, buy some peppers, assemble and bake! -This recipe calls for a lot of garlic and ginger, if you're not insanely crazy about these ingredients feel free to use less (although ginger is good for your tummy and garlic is a powerful antioxidant).

**The ginger rice is a great side dish for any asian inspired meal! I made this rice a few months ago with a seared tuna. I made stuffed peppers the next day and instead of cooking plain rice I decided to use the leftover ginger rice. I wasn't sure what it would end up like, but to my surprise it was fabulous!

***Use any kind of bell pepper you want! I prefer yellow red and orange pepper because they are sweet and it adds a new dimension to the overall flavor. But green would be good also.