Lazy Stuffed Pepper Casserole

My family has been loving this recipe for many years, it's hard to believe I'm only posting the recipe now! I think this recipe was dubbed 'Lazy Stuffed Pepper Casserole' because on the cooking side it's super easy. Everything goes in one pot and it's ready to put on the table in about an hour. But the title took on a whole new meaning when I was setting up to make regular stuffed peppers last week and my Dad and the Bean requested this recipe instead claiming they were just lazy to cut an actual pepper. Really they just love this meal so much. This lazy stuffed pepper casserole wins over actual stuffed peppers in our house and it's easier to make!

This recipe is from Every Dishes. You can find the original recipe HERE. My family has a couple other recipe that we love from this site so you might want to look around a little! They have great stuff!

Start by heating 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in 1 pound of ground beef and cook for 5-7 minutes. As the meat is beginning to brown, use a wooden spoon to stir and break up the meat into small pieces.

I usually check on the meat every couple of minutes, but as it's cooking I chop up 3 bell peppers and 1 medium onion. I used 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper and 1 orange pepper because it's what I had on hand but you could really use any color bell pepper. Add the chopped onion, the chopped peppers and 2 cloves of minced garlic to the meat and cook until the peppers are beginning to soften and the onion is translucent. Then, drain the excess grease from the pot.

Next, add 2 3/4 cups of tomato sauce, 1 3/4 cups of beef broth or chicken broth, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning or oregano to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. I usually turn the burner up to medium-high heat at this point.

 

Once the mixture boils, add in 1 cup of (uncooked) white long grain rice. Let the mixture come to a boil again. Then turn the heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, much of the liquid should be absorbed and the rice should be fully cooked.

If you've cross referenced the original recipe, you may have noticed that I make this dish a little differently, I've made little adjustments based on what I've found works best. Here, I'm going to stray from the original recipe again because the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of cheese (gah!). I mean, I love cheese as much as the next girl but that's a lot of cheese! I chop up about 1/2 cup of vegan cheese and mix it in while the casserole is still hot. You can add as much cheese as you like, but I can assure you that it is delicious with less cheese. The cheese definitely doesn't make this recipe!

Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving (because it's hot, hot, hot!), it really benefits from this little rest time! This recipe make enough to serve 6-8, but I never half it because it makes the best leftovers! Sometimes we leave it in our fridge for lunches or we freeze the leftovers and have it as a repeat meal later in the week (and no one complains because it's soooo good!).

I made it this far without mentioning that this recipe is gluten free and it can easily be made dairy free! I talk so much about gluten free and dairy free lately, but my family used to eat this recipe long before we eliminated any food intolerances. This recipe is such a crowd pleaser around here and I 'm happy to share how easily it can be adjusted to meet your needs. Big recipe win, right?

LAZY STUFFED PEPPER CASSEROLE
serves 6-8 people

ingredients
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef
3 bell peppers
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 3/4 cups tomato sauce
1 3/4 cups beef or chicken broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or oregano
1 cup long grain white rice (uncooked)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (use vegan cheese if necessary)

directions
1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add in the ground beef and cook for 5-7 minutes. While the meat is cooking, use a wooden spoon to break it into smaller pieces.
2. While the meat is browning, chop up the onion and the bell peppers. Then, add the chopped onion, peppers and minced garlic to the pot. Cook until the peppers are beginning to soften and the onion is translucent. Next, drain the excess fat from the pot.
3. Add in the tomato sauce, the beef or chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and the oregano or Italian seasoning. Raise the burner's temperature to medium-high heat and let the mixture come to a boil.
4. Once the contents of the pot boil, add in the rice and once again bring to a boil. When the mixture boils turn the heat down to low, cover the pot and let it simmer for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, much of the liquid should be absorbed and the rice should be fully cooked and tender.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and mix in the cheese (you don't have to put cheese in if you prefer not to).
6. let the casserole sit for 10 minutes before you serve it. And enjoy!

See you tomorrow!