Try this Bell Pepper Meat Loaves recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 3 bell peppers
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley for garnish
- Carbohydrate 15.2641718726607 g
- Cholesterol 85.0491352666667 mg
- Fat 23.2000156067514 g
- Fiber 1.61285597964997 g
- Protein 24.9358524825937 g
- Saturated Fat 11.7450832777111 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (208g)
- Sodium 438.630802574483 mg
- Sugar 13.6513158930107 g
- Trans Fat 2.30704656167567 g
- Calories 369 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut ends off peppers and set aside. Remove seeds and slice peppers into 2" thick rings. Place on prepared baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine beef with bread crumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, onion, thyme, garlic, and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper and stir until combined. Fill each pepper with meatloaf mixture.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ketchup and brown sugar and brush on tops of meatloaf. Bake for 35 minutes, then top with cheese, and bake 5-10 minutes more, or until cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Why are the pepper rings sliding across the baking sheet while filling? Slicing the bell peppers into uniform two-inch rings provides stable exterior walls that hold the raw beef mixture without collapsing. Lining the medium baking sheet with parchment paper prevents the rendered beef fat from fusing the pepper bottoms directly to the metal.
Equipment and Prep Dynamics
A heavy aluminum baking sheet distributes oven heat evenly at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If the sheet is too thin, the bottom of the pepper rings will scorch before the internal meat temperature reaches safety standards. Mixing the beef, bread crumbs, egg, and aromatics gently ensures the meat remains tender rather than dense. Overworking ground beef develops the protein strands, resulting in a rubbery texture once baked.
- Brushing the ketchup and brown sugar glaze too early causes burning; apply the glaze before the initial 35-minute bake so the sugars caramelize without blackening.
- Shredding Monterey Jack cheese manually yields a better melt than pre-bagged varieties coated in anti-caking cellulose.
- Fresh thyme and minced garlic disperse more evenly through the meat mixture when finely minced compared to coarse chops.
