Cheesy Stuffed Peppers with Sauce

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced

• 1 medium onion, minced

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

• 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder

• 2 teaspoons mole veracruzano or substitute 1 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 cup white wine, good enough to drink

• 1/2 can Rotel crushed tomatoes and chili, pureed

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Peppers:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

• 2 cups cooked el-dente Orzo

• 1/2 can Rotel crushed tomatoes and chili

• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 4 ounces Mississippi State Jalapeno cheese (or velveeta with jalapeno), chopped

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 large red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, tops sliced off, seeds and white membranes scooped out, and bottoms trimmed so peppers will stand upright like cups

For the Sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add oregano, chili powder, mole (or cocoa powder), cumin, and wine. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 1 minute. Add Rotel and season with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

For the Peppers: Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add beef and cook, breaking it up into little bits, until cooked through. Add onion and Rotel, stir to combine, and continue cooking until vegetables are slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cumin, chili powder, orzo, Worcestershire sauce, sour cream, and cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking until cheese is melted and filling is creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat.

Arrange peppers in an 8- by 10-inch baking dish standing upright like cups.

Generously mound filling inside peppers and ladle sauce all over. Cover with foil and bake, basting with sauce every 15 minutes, until peppers are tender, about 1 hour, removing foil during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Let peppers rest to 10 minutes, then serve.

Adopted from Serious Eats Recipe
December 2020