Stuffed Peppers

For some reason, I never had stuffed peppers growing up. It was not in my mom’s repertoire of casseroles. My mother-in-law served it to us several years ago, and I wasn’t surprised that I liked it, but I was surprised that my kids gobbled it up. Grandma, hi-tech lady that she is, used her iPhone to snap a pic of her recipe clipping, yellowed with age, and sent it to me. I’ve “modernized” it slightly, pre-roasting the peppers to drive off excess moisture and swapping in quinoa to make it a heartier dish.

Stuffed Peppers (serves 4-6)

• 4-6 bell peppers in assorted colors
• 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6-8 large mushrooms, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried herbs (thyme, oregano) or 2 tsp fresh
• 1/3 cup quinoa (makes 1.25 cups cooked)
• 8 oz Swiss cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 8 oz can tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 425. Cut peppers into halves or thirds, removing stems and seeds. Arrange cut side up on griddle pan or sheet pan and sprinkle with salt. Roast at 425 for 20 mins or until softened. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Reduce oven temp to 350.
In a small saucepan, combine 1/3 cup quinoa and 2/3 cups water. Bring a to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low, cook 20 mins. Turn off heat.
Meanwhile, prepare filling: In a large bowl, break beef up into chunks. Stir 1/2 tsp baking soda into 1 Tbsp water. Pour over beef and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
Melt 1 Tbsp butter or ghee in large saute pan. Cook onion, sprinkled with salt, until softened and lightly browned. Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, raise heat, and cook until liquid is released. Stir in beef, cook and stir until no longer pink. Stir in zucchini, garlic, herbs and quinoa, with 1/2 tsp salt and fresh-ground pepper, stirring until well-combined. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, reserving 2 large handfuls for topping. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Butter a large glass baking dish. Arrange peppers in dish, and sprinkle with salt. Spoon filling evenly over peppers. Spoon tomato sauce over filling, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
Bake for 30 mins. or until bubbling. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake 5-7 minutes more to melt cheese.