I am from New Orleans and this is exactly the way we make stuff bell peppers in the Deep South. This recipe is great - excellent, excellent, excellent! To help out some of the folks who is saying that the stuffing is dry do not drain the fat when you brown the ground meat. This is what makes it moist. If you do not want the fat included then you must substitute with another liquid (i.e., beef broth) before adding the stuffing mix. Remember to slowly add the amount of stuffing mix for the texture or consistency you prefer your stuffing to be. I hope this helps!
Flavor is terrific! To fix the dryness, try a few of these (you don't need to do them all): boil the prepared pepper halves for 2 or 3 min first, and let them dry while you prepare the rest (this prevents them from simply being sponges). Second, leave out the file -- THAT is a sponge, and adds little flavor anyway. Third, I mixed in about 3/4 can of Campbell's Tomato Soup (condensed) into the mix before stuffing (you could also use a small can of Zesty V8). Fourth, if you place the halves in a 9x13 dish to bake, just add about a half inch of water to the bottom of the pan -- that keeps things moist. I used options three and four, and loved it. Thanks!
I think this recipe has alot of potential. We made it last night and the stuffing mixture was very dry. I reread the recipe and there is no liquid at all to bind the stuffing mixture together ie chicken broth eggs etc. Next time I will add some liquid. Also it would be great with a creole cream sauce or a spicy tomato sauce as a base. It is definitely worth another try. Thanks.
This one is a keeper. I changed a couple things. I changed it for 2 servings and still had a ton of stuffing. I omitted the file powder and 1st I browned the hamburger when almost browned I added the celery green pepper and I used shallot instead of onion. I used cornbread stuffing...just what was in the cupboard and halved red peppers to stuff...topped with shredded cheddar and the bread crumbs. Oh and I added beef stock to the stuffing for moisture.....it was soooooooo good! I served it as a side to Creolized Stuffed Chicken Breasts...a recipe on this site that I highly recommend.
This was a great meal. After reading the recipe twice and reading the 1st review I paid extra attention to the end of step #2 (Stir in the stuffing mix) and what it says in the notes below step #3 (The stuffing is fully cooked before putting the stuffed peppers in the oven. Be sure to pre cook the stuffing before mixing it in and this is a very moist delicious meal.:)
This is a wonderful recipe. I did make a few changes to "cut down" the servings. I also used very lean ground beef and Italian Sausage (50-50)The sausage comes in reg mild and spicy. I used spicy. I also cut the tops off the peppers at an angle close to the stem remove the seed pod and when I finish stuffing the pepper I take a slice of cheese and seal the hole just under the edges of the hole. Then I replace the top and cook. The cheese keeps the juices and mix in the pepper and adds a little flavor as well. It also makes for a plesant presentation. I also cooked them on the stove top making a little more sauce to set them in and cover the pot until done. place the pepper in the middle of a plate pour sauce over the top. Enjoy.
Made this tonight and have to say it was *much* better than the run of the mill hamburger/tomato mixture. I did change a few things though: I added extra celery, 3 TBS of garlic(the kind from the jar), 4 tsp of creole seasoning and instead of the stuffing I added cooked rice in chicken broth - prior to cooking it was 2 cups) Then I added almost a cup of water so it wouldn't be too dry and 4 eggs for a binder ---- it was so YUM! It was a definite do-over!
Great recipe. Easy and flavorful. Just be sure your oven is big and your guests are hungry!
OK! i have used this sight for years, i always thought that i should comment on some of the recipes, but never did. This recipe changed my mind. WOW!! It was easy and quick to make, the flavor was excellent! My personnal taste i would add kyane pepper to give it that southern zip. i used also used cornbread stuffing mix. and the ham gave it what it needed. Great Job!!
I had to doctor it up a bit. I also am from south Louisiana but we make them a little different. The mix had a decent flavor but needed some moisture. I added rice (as we always do in my region for stuffed peppers) extra garlic a little tomato sauce a little chicken stock (didn't have beef) and a lil extra bread crumbs (as I didn't have bread stuffing to start with). I took others' advice and blached them ahead of time then topped them before baking with a sprinkle of bread crumbs and some cheddar cheese crumbles. The family liked it but I wasn't very impressed.
