Unstuffed Peppers

After scouring the web for a nice, simple unstuffed peppers recipe, I gave up and just decided to use my very own (well, my mom’s) recipe and tweak it. Not only is this version a lot less messy than making the stuffed version, but, the best part is there’s no need to turn on the oven. That certainly makes a lot more sense since you typically find the best peppers in the summertime. I mean, who wants to heat up the entire house to make a batch of stuffed peppers in the middle of July? I likely would, but people like my mom don’t even go near the oven during the summer months. For this recipe, you can obviously use ground beef or ground turkey, as in typical peppers. What I did was use spicy chicken sausage (for a little kick) sliced and then halved. While I still intend on making stuffed peppers on occasion during the fall and winter, this will definitely become my go-to summer meal.

4 large green, red, yellow or orange bell peppers (or one of each for color’s sake)

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 - 5.6-oz. packages Spanish rice mix

1 - 10-3/4-oz. can tomato soup

1 tsp dried basil

1 lb. chicken sausage (or ground beef or turkey), sliced then halved

1/2 medium onion, diced

Julienne peppers into 1/2-inch strips, then halve them down the center. In a large skillet, sauté the peppers in oil until tender. Meanwhile, cook the Spanish rice according to package directions. In a small bowl, combine tomato soup and basil. Once the rice is finished cooking, add the tomato soup mixture; stir until blended. When the peppers are done cooking, remove them from the pan and preserve the oil. Add the peppers to the rice and soup mixture and stir until blended. In the oil preserved from the peppers, cook the sausage (or your choice of meat) and onions until the onions are tender and the meat is done. Add the meat and onion to the rice and soup mixture, stir and serve.