Champaign, Ill. (WCIA)
Colleen Hatton is back making a twist on lasagna.
Lasagna Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients:
- 6 tricolored bell peppers (red, yellow, and orange)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/3 rounded cup chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1½ cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash peppers and dry. Cut off the tops and remove seeds/core, then carefully slice off just the very bottom of each pepper to create a flat surface. Don’t cut off too much or the sauce will leak.
- Spray a 9X13 cooking dish with cooking spray then place the peppers upright in the dish.
- Cook the peppers, whole, for approximately 15 minutes. (This will result in al dente doneness. If you prefer your peppers to have a softer texture, cook 5-10 minutes longer.)
- While the peppers are cooking in the oven, bring olive oil to medium heat in a large saucepan. Sauté chopped onions and olive oil for 3-5 minutes, then add garlic, and cook for another minute.
- Add ground beef, salt, and pepper, red pepper flakes (optional), then saute until cooked, about 5 more minutes. Add oregano, basil, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and marinara sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg, and 3 tablespoons of the parsley.
- As soon as the peppers have cooked for 15 minutes, remove them from the oven and reduce oven temp to 375 degrees.
- Layer 2-3 tablespoons of the meat mixture into each pepper. Add the ricotta layer next, dividing it equally among all 6 peppers. Then add another layer of meat sauce.
- Cover the baking dish with tin foil and bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Remove foil and top each pepper with mozzarella. Bake uncovered 5-10 more minutes, until mozzarella is melted. Garnish with remaining chopped parsley and serve.
