Take a tasty trip to the bayou! Dirty Peppers are a welcome treat that will result in a table full of spotless plates! A Southern must-have, the filling is dirty rice, seasoned to perfection and loaded with savory ground beef and sausage! That rice is then stuffed into a bell pepper for a polished presentation with a refreshing flavor. When topped with an abundance of sharp parmesan, Dirty Peppers wash away your hunger and satisfy even the most finicky with a plethora of tantalizing Louisiana flavor. It’s so stinking good!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon bacon grease or cooking oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 3/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 3/4 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1/4 cup celery, diced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 cups rice, cooked, prepared with chicken broth instead of water
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 4 medium whole bell peppers, any color, washed and dried
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- green onions or chives, optional, to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 –Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2 –In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the bacon grease.
Step 3 –Add the ground beef and the ground sausage to the heated bacon grease and cook, while crumbling, until the meat mixture is no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes.
Step 4 –About 2-3 minutes into cooking the ground meat, add the diced green bell pepper, the onion, and the celery and cook, while stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
Step 5 –Add the oregano, the thyme, the garlic, the salt, the chili powder, the black pepper, and the cayenne pepper and stir to combine.
Step 6 –Add the flour to the seasoned meat mixture and stir to completely coat.
Step 7 –Add the chicken broth and the bay leaves to the coated meat mixture and scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen any of the browned bits.
Step 8 –Simmer the meat mixture until the flavors meld together, about 5-8 minutes.
Step 9 –Add the cooked rice and the parsley to the meat mixture and simmer, while stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
Step 10 –Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Step 11 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 12 –On a cutting board with a sharp knife, add the whole bell peppers and slice off the tops or cut in half lengthwise through the stem. Discard the seeds and the seed membranes from the inside the peppers.
Step 13 –With a spoon, add 1-1 1/2 cups of the rice mixture to the pepper halves and round off the top of the rice.
Step 14 –Rice-side up, line the stuffed peppers on the prepared baking sheet.
Step 15 –Evenly top each of the stuffed peppers with the parmesan cheese.
Step 16 –Bake until the cheese is golden-brown and the rice is almost cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
Step 17 –Tent a sheet of aluminum foil over the stuffed peppers to prevent over-browning or drying out and bake until tender and the rice is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Step 18 –Transfer the peppers to a wire rack and let them cool for 5 minutes.
Step 19 –Serve garnished with the green onions.
