Stuffed Bell Peppers

This fragrant dish is a real crowd pleaser and is perfect for both family meals and entertaining. I like to make the filling and stuff the peppers the night before to cut down on prep time during those busy late afternoon hours. You will probably have some of the filling mixture left over, which would be wonderful to use in savory mini-meat pies (empanadas), or to be frozen for another time.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. While the onions are cooking, wash the bell peppers and slice off a bit of the bottom so they sit flat, taking care not to cut into the interior. Cut off the tops about one half inch down from the stem and carefully remove the seeds and white membrane. Set aside.
3. Add the turkey to the pan and break apart with a spatula. When fully cooked through, add cooked rice, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Add the canned tomatoes and the raisins and stir well. Remove from heat.
4. Place the peppers in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and stuff with the meat mixture, mounding slightly. Drizzle tops and sides of each pepper with olive oil. Return the peppers' tops and cover tightly with foil.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until peppers are tender.

   Ingredient Tips: Look for packages of diced onions in your supermarket's refrigerated produce section to cut down on prep time. Bottled minced garlic is also a great time saver. Many grocers carry packages of pre-cooked brown rice that may either be on the shelf with the rice or in the freezer aisle. Quick cook (instant) brown rice is also available. To quickly chop canned items, remove the can's lid and cut up the contents using a pair of clean scissors or kitchen shears.