Spicy Stuffed Peppers

Makes 20 servings

• 10 red bell peppers, cut in half and seeded
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 large eggplant, peeled and diced
• 2 medium yellow squash, diced
• 1 loaf of white bread, processed into crumbs
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 1/2 pound hot Italian sausage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 generous handful dried basil
• 1 generous handful, dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep-sided pan. Add the squash, eggplant, garlic, and onion. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Saute the vegetables until tender. Remove the vegetables from the pan to cool. Heat the same pan as you cooked the vegetables over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and sausage, breaking apart any clumps. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook until the meat is browned and begins to stick to the bottom of the pan. Drain the meat mixture and set aside to cool.

Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat slightly to break apart. Mix the squash and meat mixture together. I like to use the pan I cooked them in for mixing so I can incorporate the brown, flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan into the mixture. Add the eggs, tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, basil, parsley and crushed red pepper, stirring to combine well. Add the bread crumbs and stir to combine. If the mixture seems dry, add water to moisten.

Generously fill each pepper cup with the stuffing mixture. If making the stuffed peppers ahead for the freezer wrap each stuffed pepper individually in plastic wrap and then package the peppers together in a large zip closure plastic bag for long term storage. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the frozen stuffed peppers on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops of the peppers generously with extra virgin olive oil. Bake until the tops are browned and the peppers are soft when pierced with a fork, about 45-60 minutes.