I think this dish was a staple in many homes in the 60’s and 70’s. It’s kind of a classic in the ranks of those huge Campbell soup-based casseroles my mom would make during the week. This has been updated and trimmed down and is a great example of a naturally GFCF dinner. Serve this alongside a simple green salad, Broccoli Salad, or a refreshing Cucumber Salad and dinner is done.

Hint: You can throw this together on the weekend when you may have a bit more time, and set it in the fridge for a day or two until you’re ready to cook. Same for the Broccoli and Cucumber salads.

Because a dutch oven can be an expensive investment (I buy them half off at Marshall’s or Tuesday Morning), I’ve also adapted the recipe to work for a roasting pan in an oven.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: Dinner for 4 with leftovers
Special equipment: Dutch oven optional

6 large red or green bell peppers or a mix of both
2 T olive oil
2 stalks celery
2 c. chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef or turkey, cooked and drained
2/3 c. cooked white basmati rice (use the Herbed Rice recipe without adding the herbs and you’ll have leftovers)
1 T Hungarian paprika
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
2 1/2 c. canned tomato sauce

1. If using the oven to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut off top 1/2 inch of peppers. Discard stems and seeds. Chop the tops and set aside.
3. Heat oil in dutch oven (or skillet) over medium heat. Add onions, celery and peppers. Saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute a moment longer and transfer entire mixture to large bowl.
4. Brown ground beef in dutch oven (or skillet) until cooked through. Drain fat and transfer to bowl with onion mixture. Add rice, 1/2 c. tomato sauce, paprika, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
5. Pour 1 1/2 c. tomato sauce into bottom or dutch oven (or roasting pan).
6. With large spoon, stuff mixture into pepper cavities. Arrange in Dutch oven (or roasting pan) and spoon a tablespoonful of tomato sauce atop each stuffed pepper.
7. If using a dutch oven, cover, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Open pot and ad 1/2 – 1 c. water, if necessary, to keep sauce from thickening and burning. Cover for another 30 minutes.
8. If using a roasting pan, cover peppers with foil and place in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes uncovered until peppers are tender.