One thing we love about Stuffed Peppers is that they are a perfect self-contained serving vessel for pretty much any filling that goes well with bell pepper flavours. For these particular peppers, we decided to go with a bit of a gumbo flavour profile, so we let celery, onions, and okra do the heavy lifting, and then we added in some tomatoes for texture and bacon for a bit of smoky saltiness (although Andouille Sausage would work really well here too)…oh and a good bit of cayenne for some characteristic Cajun heat!
The only thing missing from our filling was a carb component, so we decided to whip up a batch of grits (cooked in chicken stock with parsley added), and this served three purposes. The first (as noted above) was to add a carb to the meal. Secondly, it served to tone down the heat a bit and add some textural differential. Lastly, it formed a perfect base to hold our peppers upright in the bowls!
We hope you enjoy!
Time: 90 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Red or Green Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Onion
- Okra
- Bacon or Andouille Sausage
- Tomatoes
- Ground Cayenne
Method:
- Dice your celery and onion. Then, heat some olive oil in a pan, and add the celery and onion to start cooking.
- Remove the tops from your okra, and then slice the okra into thin strips. Once that’s all cut, add it to your pan as well, and stir to combine.
- Dice your tomato, and set it aside in a bowl.
- Remove excess fat from your bacon, and slice it into thin strips. If using Andouille, dice it finely. Then, add your meat to the veggie pan, and stir to combine.
- Let it cook for 4-5 minutes, and then add in your diced tomato and cayenne. Keep stirring occasionally as it cooks.
- As your filling cooks, remove the stems/cores of your bell peppers, and arrange the peppers in a baking dish so they stand upright.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Continue cooking your filling until your tomatoes have broken down, and the excess liquids in your pan have evaporated. Then, use a spoon to scoop your filling into your peppers.
- Give the outside of your peppers a quick olive oil spray, and then stash them in the oven for about 45 minutes until the flesh softens and wrinkles a bit.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
