Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

This is a recipe I have heard my friend Leslie rave about for a while but I never made it. At the end of March one of the grocery stores had some excellent 5 for 5 sales on veggies. Red Peppers were one the selected items. I love Red Peppers but was feeling a little overwhelemed at the idea of 5 Red Peppers hanging out in my fridge. I soon remembered this recipe and decided to give it a shot. OK, actually I lied, I was up to my ears in homework so Matt actually made these. He did a wonderful job! These stuffed peppers very tender and juicy, definitely not a diet food but well worth it. I asked Matt how he woluld describe them and he said "Really good, an exquisite meatball in a red pepper". (what a nerd!) I think that means he really liked them. I also loved them and we've been talking about them ever since that night.

Stuffed Zucchini and Red Bell Peppers Recipe
Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Show: Everyday Italian
Episode: Sinful Vegetables




Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 large egg
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup dried plain bread crumbs
1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
2 zucchini, ends removed, halved lengthwise and crosswise
1 short orange bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 short red bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 short yellow bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
(We obviously just used Red Peppers)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly drizzle the olive oil into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Whisk the onion, parsley, egg, ketchup, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and bread crumbs. Mix in the turkey. Cover and refrigerate the turkey mixture.

Using a melon baller or spoon, carefully scrape out the seeds and inner flesh from the zucchini, leaving 1/8-inch-thick shells. Be careful not to pierce through the skin. Fill the zucchini and pepper halves with the turkey mixture, dividing equally and mounding slightly. Arrange the stuffed vegetables in the baking dish. Pour the marinara sauce over the stuffed vegetables.

Bake uncovered until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown and a thermometer inserted into the filling registers 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Transfer the stuffed vegetables to a platter and serve

Pasta

I found this recipe a while ago on ... and a cookie for dessert. I finally got around to making it on Tuesday. This meal is perfect for when you want something good and filling that is friendly on the budget. In order to save myself some money I just substituted a few of the ingredients with things I had in my cabinets. This makes a ton of food, the leftovers are quite tasty too.

Beef Penne Pasta Casserole
...and a cookie for desert
originally from meals.com

1 pound dried penne pasta, prepared according to package directions (I used rotini)
8 ounces lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups water
2 cans (6 ounces each) Italian tomato paste (I used some spaghetti sauce I had on hand)
1/3 cup red wine or water (I used more than that... maybe 3/4 - 1 cup) :)
1 tablespoon beef flavored bouillon (omitted)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (I used an Italian cheese blend)

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

COOK beef and onion in large saucepan, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink. (I seasoned the turkey with parsley, oregano, salt and pepper) Add water, tomato paste, wine and bouillon; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes or until flavors are blended.

LAYER ingredients as follows in ungreased13 x 9-inch baking dish: 1/2 pasta, 1/2 sauce and 1/2 cheese. Repeat layers; cover.

BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Season with salt.

FOR FREEZE AHEAD:PREPARE as above; do not bake. Cover; freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator. PREHEAT oven to 350° F. BAKE for 45 to 55 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Season with salt.
Serving Size: 6

Not quite my mom's

This is one of my favorite things my mom makes. I haven't made it yet because it seems like when I try to make her recipes, they just aren't as good. This was no exception. I think part of the reason this wasn't as good was because M used too many noodles so the sauce wasn't as thick. Oh well, there's always next time.... or next time I visit home!

Hamburger Stroganoff


1/2lb wide egg noodles
1lb ground round (mom always made this with ground turkey, as did I)
2 tsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 med. onion - chopped
2 tsp AP flour
1/2lb sliced mushrooms (omitted)
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 1/4 cup beef stock
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook and drain noodles as package directs (next time I will do this as I'm cooking the hamburger mixture)

Melt butter in heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion and mushrooms 5-7 minutes. Add meat and cook until brown. Stir often. Add Worcestershire sauce and S&P to taste.

Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in stock and simmer until thickened. Stir in sour cream until heated.

Serve immediately over hot noodles.