Best Stuffed Peppers
My grandmother used to make this as I was growing up and has been a favorite in our French-Canadian home. If you like a moist filling, this is the recipe for you. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
My grandmother used to make this as I was growing up and has been a favorite in our French-Canadian home. If you like a moist filling, this is the recipe for you. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
- Carbohydrate 65.1112 g
- Cholesterol 299.376 mg
- Fat 83.56264 g
- Fiber 9.18400018692017 g
- Protein 91.72632 g
- Saturated Fat 33.54176 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (958g)
- Sodium 272.552 mg
- Sugar 55.9271998130798 g
- Trans Fat 10.75704 g
- Calories 1392 calories
Step-by-step
- Cut and clean green peppers.
- Steam (covered) in microwave for 5 minutes.
- Mix ground beef, (do not cook) onions, rice and one can tomato soup.
- Mix well: fill each pepper with mixture, top with remaining tomato soup and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours at 350.
Raw green bell peppers undergo a rapid softening process when subjected to humid heat, as steam breaks down their rigid cell walls. Microwaving them for five minutes kickstarts this softening while retaining structural integrity so the peppers hold their shape during prolonged baking. Using raw extra-lean ground beef instead of pre-cooked meat ensures that rendered fat and protein exude directly into the surrounding filling. This raw-meat technique hydrates the uncooked parboiled rice kernels as starches gelatinize at internal temperatures reaching 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Canned tomato soup introduces concentrated glutamates and high acidity, which tenderizes the proteins in the beef matrix while simultaneously providing moisture that prevents dryness during long oven exposures. Substituting fresh tomatoes for canned soup alters the moisture balance significantly, requiring added liquid to compensate for the missing sodium and thickening agents. Scaling this preparation up or down requires careful adjustment of the baking dish size to maintain proper thermal conduction through dense layers of beef and rice. Bake the assembled peppers at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one to one and a half hours until the internal rice grains are fully tender.
