MAMA MARY’S STUFFED PEPPERS
Vegetables, Meat
Intermediate

MAMA MARY’S STUFFED PEPPERS

Classic stuffed peppers with beef, brown rice, olives, tomatoes, and parsley baked until crisp tops.

"These stuffed peppers are absolutely delicious — crispy on the outside, tender inside, and full of love just like Mama Mary made them!" - Alexia

2 Hours 30 Minutes
Total Time
6
Servings
Intermediate
Level

Ingredients

  • 6 bell peppers
  • 1/2 loaf day-old Italian bread
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 can black olives
  • 6 fresh plum tomatoes or 1 small can San Marzano tomatoes (broken up)
  • 4 cloves fresh minced garlic
  • 1 cup fresh chopped parsley
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
  • 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Garlic salt (to taste)
  • Cracked black pepper (to taste)
  • Cooking spray

Instructions

1

Prepare the Peppers

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Wash and hollow out the peppers. Cut off the tops and set them aside. Cut each pepper in half and finely chop the tops, discarding the stems. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray, lay down the pepper halves, and poke holes in them with a fork for even cooking.

2

Cook the Ground Beef

In a skillet, sauté the ground beef until fully cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

3

Cook the Rice

Pre-cook the brown rice without seasoning. Let it cool and set aside.

4

Prepare the Bread

Soak the Italian bread in water for several minutes until it absorbs the liquid. Then squeeze out all excess water until the bread is damp but not soggy.

5

Make the Stuffing

In a large bowl, combine the soaked bread, cooked ground beef, and cooked brown rice. Add black olives, broken-up tomatoes, garlic, garlic salt, black pepper, and parsley. Then add eggs, chopped pepper tops, cheese, and bread crumbs. Drizzle with olive oil and mix well until the mixture is slightly wet but sticky and easy to form.

6

Stuff and Bake the Peppers

Fill each pepper half generously with the stuffing mixture. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 1-1/2 hours. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 30 minutes until the peppers are golden brown and crispy.

7

Serve

Let cool slightly before serving. These stuffed peppers are hearty, flavorful, and best enjoyed fresh out of the oven.