Welcome to Stuffed Peppers 101: Hollowed-out bell peppers are filled with any combination of meat, grains, vegetables, and spices. Of course, that doesn’t quite sum up how delicious they are (which is very delicious!). They’re sweet, savory, and hearty—perfect for any occasion, but an especially easy and impressive family dinner idea. For this version, the peppers are stuffed with flavorful Italian-seasoned ground beef and nutty pearl couscous simmered in rich tomato sauce. Top the stuffed peppers with mozzarella, then broil to melty, bubbly perfection and prepare to dig in. Mama mia! This recipe is double the typical servings, providing 4 servings and 8 servings for a 2 person and 4 person box respectively.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
4 unit
Bell Pepper
1 unit
Yellow Onion
20 ounce
Ground Beef
2 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning
3 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
3 clove
Garlic
¼ ounce
Parsley
13.76 ounce
Crushed Tomatoes
5 ounce
Israeli Couscous
(Contains Wheat)
½ cup
Mozzarella Cheese
(Contains Milk)
Salt
Pepper
10 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
½ teaspoon
Sugar
• Adjust rack to top position (top and middle positions for 8 servings) and preheat oven to 425 degrees. • Wash and dry produce. • Halve bell peppers lengthwise; remove stems and seeds. Halve, peel, and dice onion into ¼-inch pieces.
• Place bell pepper halves on a baking sheet (divide between two baking sheets for 8 servings) and drizzle each half with oil; rub to coat. Season with salt and pepper. • Arrange cut sides down on sheet. Roast on top rack (top and middle racks for 8) until tender, 10-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add beef*, onion, half the Italian Seasoning (you’ll use the rest in the next step), one packet of stock concentrate (two packets for 8 servings), salt, and pepper. (For 8, cook in batches or use a second large pan.) • Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Turn off heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef mixture to a large bowl. (TIP: If there’s excess grease in your pan, carefully pour it out.) Wipe out pan. • While beef cooks, peel and mince or grate garlic. Roughly chop parsley.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. • Stir in crushed tomatoes, remaining Italian Seasoning, remaining stock concentrates, half the parsley, 2⁄3 cup water (1 cup for 8 servings), ½ tsp sugar (1 tsp for 8), salt, and pepper. • Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Once simmering, add couscous, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until couscous is tender, 6-8 minutes.
• Transfer cooked couscous mixture to bowl with beef mixture. Add half the remaining parsley and stir until thoroughly combined. • Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
• Once bell pepper halves are done roasting, remove sheet from oven. Heat broiler to high. • Carefully transfer bell pepper halves to a work surface. Flip and stuff each half with beef and couscous mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella. • Return stuffed peppers to baking sheet (careful—baking sheet will still be hot!) and broil until cheese is melted and bubbly, 1-2 minutes. TIP: Keep a close eye on the peppers since the cheese can burn quickly!
• Divide stuffed peppers between plates. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve.
Ground beef is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160°.