I have been so out of it lately… the summer is winding down, but August was our busiest month yet with two trips out of state. Next weekend we are having my nephew’s birthday party in our backyard, so for the last three days, my husband and I spent a good chunk of time finishing up all the plans we had for the backyard this summer (stayed tuned for the reveal photos!).
I am so exhausted that I even decided to take Monday, Labor Day, off from blogging. I labored enough this weekend, and wasn’t really in the right mind to write something of quality.
Anyway, I am ready to get back into the swing of things! When I returned from our Vegas vacation last week, I went grocery shopping and restocked our empty cupboards and fridge so now I’m in the mood to cook once again.
While my engine’s running, I thought I would share one of my latest favorite recipes.
This meal is another fabulous Everyday with Rachael Ray find. I’m telling you, this lady knows good food.
Anyway, my husband’s been bugging me forever to make stuffed peppers, but it always seemed like such a chore. Then I ran across this recipe and loved how easy it looked and decided to try it out. Here’s why I love it:
- It’s easy
- It’s quick (it takes about 10 minutes, not including the time involved in cooking the rice, which can be done ahead of time)
- It’s cheap
Sidenote (I have sidenotes on all my recipes, don’t I?): The recipe calls for mild Italian sausage, but I am not a fan so I substituted ground turkey. You could also use ground beef. Since I didn’t have the strong flavor of sausage in my recipe, I used a box mix of wild rice with seasonings to give it some extra goodness instead of plain wild rice, which worked like a charm.
Unstuffed Peppers (Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine)
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 1 pound mild italian sausage, casings discarded
- 2 green bell peppers, chopped
- One 10-ounce package white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 red onion, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups water, the rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil. Cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes; fluff with a fork. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to the rice. Return the skillet to the heat and add 1 more tablespoon olive oil, the bell peppers, mushrooms and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the veggies to the sausage and rice and toss.
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