Sloppy Joes Stuffed Bell Peppers
Sloppy Joes aren't so sloppy when you stuff the delicious tomatoey, tangy beef "Joe" in some colorful sweet bell peppers.
This is a recipe I first posted in 2015 with some modifications that I've made since. I have no idea where I got the recipe, but I filed it away for some time before I tried it. Stuffed bell peppers were a staple on our table when I was growing up. I suspect that was because bell peppers were cheap and my dad grew them in our backyard garden in the summer. The ground beef stuffing was always augmented with some kind of starch, usually rice, although my mom on occasion would use Quaker oats. The idea, of course, was to extend the reach of the priciest ingredient: the ground beef. But to be sure, the peppers were always green and were always hollowed out from the top.
For my version, I chose to use orange and red bell peppers and sliced them length-ways in half. Served with some mashed potatoes, you have a reasonably elegant version of an old childhood classic, and eating Sloppy Joes this way, as opposed to on a bun, assures much more of the filling makes its way to your mouth. You can use yellow bell peppers if you wish, and green is still always a good choice.
The original recipe I found did not call for it, but I used one cup of rice among my ingredients. You either need to use cooked rice, or you can use the microwavable kind, only you do not actually need to microwave before adding to the stuffing mixture. Microwavable rice is par-cooked and will finish nicely in the final cooking process with this dish.
This makes enough for filling 6 to 8 bell pepper halves, depending on their size. When you cut them in half, try to keep the stem intact for a little additional visual drama on the plate. Cut out as much of the innards and seeds as you can, which will give you more room for the stuffing.
Sloppy Joes Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 3-4 orange and/ or yellow bell peppers, cut length-ways and cored
- 1.25 lb 80/20 ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1-2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 cup white rice, cooked
- 3/4 cup tomato sauce (like, Hunt's)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 packet Splenda (you can substitute 1 tsp honey or table sugar)
- 1- 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1- 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard (like, French's Classic Yellow)
- 1/2 of a 6-oz can tomato paste (like, Hunt's or Contadina)
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (like, Sargento)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/8 tsp Worcestershire black pepper (like, McCormick)
- non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)
- 4-5 tbsp table salt for the boiling water
Instructions
- In a pot large enough for the pepper halves, bring salted water to a rolling boil. Then, drop in the bell peppers and cook for 3 minutes.
- Remove, drain, and immediately put the peppers into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. When completely cooled, remove peppers from the water bath and dry thoroughly.
- Add the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the chopped onion and celery until the onions are translucent but not browned.
- Add the ground beef and sauté until no pink color remains. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add the rest of ingredients except the tomato paste, cheese and the bell peppers to the skillet. Stirring frequently, simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated..
- Add the tomato paste and incorporate thoroughly into the mixture. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
- Remove the meat mixture from the stove and add 1/2 of the sharp cheddar cheese. Stir the mixture until the cheese melts through.
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then fill each pepper cup with the mixture and top with the remaining cheese.
- Place the pepper halves in a shallow baking dish treated with some cooking spray.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until bubbly and slightly browned.
Notes
- My Number One Fan advises against the use of too much yellow mustard, so stick to the 1/2 tbsp this recipe recommends.
