-
1
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
-
2
Rinse peppers under cold water.
-
3
Slice the top 1/4 inch off each pepper; remove seeds and membranes.
-
4
Chop edible part of tops to equal approximately 1 cup chopped peppers, and set aside.
-
5
If the peppers wont stand up straight, take a small slice off the bottom with a paring knife to make a flat surface, try to remove as little as possible.
-
6
In a large pot of boiling water, parboil the peppers until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
-
7
Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on either a wire rack or paper towels.
-
8
If you dont have your rice already cooked, you could use this pepper water to cook your rice in.
-
9
Ive used it for instant rice when I didnt want to dirty another pot.
-
10
Combine tomato paste, water, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
-
11
In a large saute pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
-
12
Add the onions and chopped bell pepper tops, cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes.
-
13
Add the beef, garlic, oregano, salt and black pepper, and cook until the meat is browned, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon to break up the lumps, about 6 minutes.
-
14
*Very important: remove pan from heat and drain any visible fat from the pan, then return it to the heat.
-
15
Otherwise you will have greasy peppers.
-
16
Next, add the cooked rice, parmesan cheese, and tomato paste mixture and stir well.
-
17
Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.
-
18
Depending on your cheese and tomato paste you may need a bit more salt.
-
19
Spray a casserole or baking dish with Pam or lightly oil, then pour in the stewed tomatoes (you can whir the stewed tomatoes in your food processor first if you dont like a lot of chunks) or tomato sauce.
-
20
Depending on the size of your pan, you may not need all of it.
-
21
Pour in enough sauce so that it comes up to the bottom of the pepper and up about a half of an inch.
-
22
Set the parboiled peppers into the prepared pan so they are evenly spaced and surrounded by sauce.
-
23
Stuff the bell peppers with the rice/meat mixture.
-
24
Spread a spoonful of the sauce over the top of each pepper.
-
25
Bake until the peppers are very tender and the filling is heated through, about 30 to 35 minutes.
-
26
Spoon a little tomato sauce over each stuffed pepper and sprinkle with shredded cheese; bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
-
27
Serve the peppers with spoonfuls of tomato sauce from pan.
