Stuffed Bell Peppers with Beef and Cabbage

I never liked stuffed bell peppers until I ditched the green ones and bought some red, yellow, and orange 3-packs instead. Replacing traditional rice with cabbage adds another veggie and gives a different texture. They take a bit of time but are well worth the effort.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 55 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Calories: 264 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ½ cup shredded provolone cheese
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, or as needed
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• ½ medium head green cabbage, chopped
• ½ medium head red cabbage, chopped
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 6 large red bell peppers

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Oil the bottom and sides of two rectangular glass baking dishes.

Step 2

Melt butter in a 4- to 6-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add ground beef, green and red cabbage, onion, celery, and garlic. Stir in diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, salt, oregano, basil, and pepper. Cook until beef starts to brown and cabbage softens a bit, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir, and continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 3

While the beef cooks, prepare bell peppers: remove stems and cut peppers in half from top to bottom. Remove seeds and white membrane. Rub outsides of the peppers with olive oil and arrange, skin-sides down like edible bowls, in the prepared baking dishes.

Step 4

Strain beef mixture to remove excess liquid; scoop into peppers to fill and mound any extra on top or reserve for another use. Cover with foil.

Step 5

Cook in the preheated oven until peppers have softened, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil, top with mozzarella and provolone, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Step 6

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.