Saucy Stuffed Peppers

My Slovakian grandmother always made huge pots of stovetop stuffed peppers in winter. I'm a vegetarian now and can safely say that this is the one dish that I really miss eating.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 2 hr
• Total Time: 2 hr 30 mins
• Calories: 467 Calories

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 ½ pounds ground round
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 8 large green bell peppers
• 1 gallon tomato juice

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Wash peppers thoroughly. Make a circular incision around stem to remove it. Remove seeds; rinse inside of pepper. Discard seeds and stems; set peppers aside.

Step 2

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; sauté onion until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Step 3

Mix ground beef into onions by hand. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly pour in rice while mixing by hand. Mix thoroughly. Stuff meat and rice mixture into peppers.

Step 4

Coat the bottom of 1 or 2 large pots with oil. Place stuffed bell peppers into the pot(s), leaving a 2-inch space at the top. Pour in tomato juice until peppers are covered. If there is leftover meat mixture, form it into balls and add to tomato juice.

Step 5

Cook over low heat, stirring every 20 to 45 minutes, until peppers split at the sides and juice thickens, 2 to 3 hours.