Bolognese Stuffed Peppers

It's been a long time since I've made stuffed peppers, so I figured it was about time!  Now that I'm back to working full-time, I need recipes that are easy to meal prep and cook in bulk.  I also love a good Bolognese sauce because there's such a depth of flavor and texture.  So why not combine the two?  I made a pretty traditional Bolognese, but added some extra veggies to healthify things up a little bit.  And instead of adding a pasta or grain with it since I was already eating pesto pasta as my other meal for the week, I kept things gluten free.  I will say that each pepper on its own is better as a lunch or a side dish and not for dinner, but it would be great accompanied by something smaller.  On some days, I paired it with my homemade focaccia to sop up the sauce, which was a perfect combination.



Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients:
8 large red bell peppers
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups spinach, roughly chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
28 oz ganned tomato
1 tbs tomato paste
1/4 cup butter
1 bay leaf
1 cup red wine
Salt & Pepper to taste
Optional: 6 oz goat cheese

Instructions:
  1. Add garlic, beef and pork to a dutch oven or large pan and cook meat about 3 minutes until lightly browned.  Stir occasionally to break up the meat and then drain the fat.
  2. Add celery and carrots and cook another 3-5 minutes, until meat is browned and vegetables are softened.
  3. Add red wine and simmer for 7-9 minutes, until reduced.  Add in butter, tomato paste and seasonings and stir until combined.  Cover with a top and reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Taste and season throughout the cooking process with salt and pepper.  Add spinach and stir until wilted.
  4. While the sauce is cooking, cut the tops off the bell peppers and preheat the oven to 350° F.
  5. Bake the peppers for 15 minutes.  Fill the peppers with sauce and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until peppers are soft.  Optional: add goat cheese half way through the sauce.

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