It's that time of summer for our garden to give us tons of bell peppers. I came up with this recipe a few years ago and decided it was definitely a keeper. If you prefer you can use jarred marinara sauce, but it's so simple to make your own.
4 medium green, yellow or red bell peppers
8 ounces ground pork sausage
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1/2 cup diced celery
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice
1 T. Creole seasoning, plus more for seasoning bread crumb topping
16 oz. marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped green onions, green part only
1 T. chopped parsley leaves
2 T. fine dry bread crumbs
2 T. grated Parmesan
4 t. unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut off the top quarter of each bell pepper and reserve. Remove the seeds and veins from the inside of each pepper and discard. Set bell pepper shells aside. Remove and discard the stems from each bell pepper top. Dice enough of the bell pepper tops to make 1/2 cup. Set aside.
In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, crumble and brown the sausage until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add the onions, 1/2 cup diced bell pepper, and the celery. Sauté for 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the rice and mix well. Season with Creole seasoning. Cook for about 1 minute. Stir in half of the marinara sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions and parsley.
Season the insides of the bell pepper shells with salt and pepper to taste. Loosely spoon the rice mixture into the bell pepper shells.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and cheese. Season with a pinch of Creole seasoning and mix well. Sprinkle the mixture over each pepper. Top each pepper with 1 teaspoon of butter and place the peppers into an 8-inch baking dish or pan. Add just enough water to remaining marinara sauce to thin it a little and pour in to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and warmed through. Serve hot.
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