Those Stuffed Bell Peppers!

Yesterday I got on a cooking kick.

I reached for my phone to call my mom for a recipe and that painful memory of almost 4 years ago hit me.

I couldn't call her for that recipe that I loved because she isn't here.

That made me really sad.

(save your favorite recipes from your mom on your computer or in your own recipe box)

So, I decided to create my own.

Now, "W" doesn't eat anything green.

Well except for salad.

So, let's get started here.

Remember, I was creating my own recipe, so during this recipe, please be aware of changes I would make.

First, this is what cha need:

I left out 2 important ingredients.

Rice, and wait for it....Hershey's unsweet chocolate.  Not the bar, the powder.

Smash up some garlic and sauté 

Brown 2 lbs. of ground beef

When completely brown add TWO pkgs. of either McCormicks or Lowrys (I like Lowrys best but it's harder to find)

Powdered Spaghetti sauce mix

Add 3 cans of tomato sauce, and 1 large can of diced tomatoes 

Then add 2 cans of tomato paste

Mix well, bring to a boil and simmer for about 2 hours stirring occasionally

*NOTE This will stick and burn on the bottom if not checked on!  And it will taste horrible if it burns.

Trust me on this.

After simmering for a couple of hours, add 1 heaping TBS of chocolate

(secret ingredient)

let it cook for about another hour.

Long cooking is the secret to a really great bolognese!

now, cut the tops off of your bell peppers.  Clean out all the guts 

and let them dry!

okay, this is what I would have done differently right here.

First of all, I dished out half of the sauce to freeze for later.  So this is basically two different dishes!

That's great because this is a really labor intensive meal.

Really, like a 3 hour prep.

Now, instead of pouring the 1 1/2 cups of rice into the sauce directly, I would cook the rice first and then add it to the sauce.  I thought that cooking this in the sauce would do the trick.  It didn't.

While the rice is cooking....

flour, salt and pepper, and season a few pork chops

then brown them in a TBS of olive oil

transfer to a baking dish

now,  dish the sauce mixture into the bell peppers and put on top of the pork chop

put the lid on

put aluminum foil over and cook at 350 for 45 min.

Except for the rice not being done enough this was just really AMAZING.  The pork chop was just terrific.

and...

I was able to make "Mr. doesn't eat veges" his own special dinner

Those Stuffed Bell Peppers

2 lbs. ground chuck

3 med. cans tomato sauce

2 small cans tomato paste

1 large can diced tomatoes

2 pkg. Lowrys or McCormick's Spaghetti Sauce mix

Hershey's unsweet chocolate powder

fresh garlic

Bell Peppers

Pork chops

Rice

How to make the Bolognese:

Brown the ground chuck in olive oil and 3 cloves of smashed garlic

When brown add the packages of sauce mix

Mix well.

Add the tomatoes, sauce and paste.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours stirring constantly to avoid sticking.

About 1 hour before serving add chocolate.

*note.  This sauce actually taste better after freezing overnight, thawing and re-cooking.

So, it is perfect for making when you have time, breaking it up into different servings and using as a fast meal during the week!

Cook rice according to package directions.

Pan sear the pork chops

Assemble your Bell Peppers with the rice and sauce

Put all in a baking dish and bake at 350 for 45 min.

or you can buy them already made at Costco....

Enjoy!!!

Have a wonderful day y'all!

kb