Tag: peppers

Gluten Free Stuffed Peppers

Bell peppers are available year-round and come in so many beautiful colors!  We really love these Italian style stuffed peppers, so I decided to make a few.  The sausage and rice stuffing is delicious and can stand on its own as a casserole.  Since it can be made ahead, this is a nice easy meal to have when you get home from work.  Choose peppers that are uniform in size, and check that they can stand upright.

For a really special touch, try using my homemade Mushroom Soup and homemade Italian Sausage in this recipe, both are fabulous!  Of course, you can use store bought if you like, just make sure the ingredients are gluten free.    

This recipe will yield enough stuffing for 4 medium peppers.  In this post I am stuffing 2 peppers and serving the rest as a casserole.

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Ingredients: 

  • 1/2 cup long grain brown rice (uncooked) 
  • 1-1/2 cups gluten free Lower Sodium or Unsalted Chicken broth 
  • olive oil 
  • 1/2 sweet onion diced 
  • 3  garlic cloves minced 
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • salt and pepper to taste 
  • 8 oz. gluten free  Italian Sausage, casings removed
  • 1-1/2 cups gluten free Mushroom Soup 
  • 1/4 cup 1% milk, plus more as needed 
  • paprika 
  • 1/3 cup shredded gruyere cheese 
  • 1/3 cup gluten free  Italian breadcrumbs 

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  • 4 bell peppers, color of your choice 
  • 1/4 cup grated gruyere or Parmesan cheese 
  • 1/4 cup gluten free Italian breadcrumbs 
  • 2 cups purchased marinara sauce for serving or-
    • 1 medium can tomato sauce
    • 1/4 cup onion
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1 tsp. brown sugar
    • 1/2 tsp. each basil, oregano and marjoram
    • salt and pepper to taste 

Preparation: 

Cook the rice in the chicken broth.  I used long grain brown rice which takes about 50 minutes to cook, so I gave it a 35-minute head start before adding to the casserole. 

Next heat a deep, oven proof skillet to medium low and add the onions, mushrooms and garlic with a little olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Push the veggies to the side, leaving a space in the center of the pan and add the sausage.

Break up the meat with a spatula to brown it all over, then stir into the veggies.

When the rice has simmered for 35 minutes, add it to the skillet along with any broth that has not been absorbed.  Add the Mushroom Soup and 1/4 cup milk.

Sprinkle the top with paprika and place the skillet in a 350° oven.  Bake for 30 minutes uncovered. 

While the casserole is baking, make a small batch of marinara (or heat up prepared sauce).  Heat olive oil in a small saucepan, and begin cooking the onion and garlic, stir frequently until the onions are translucent.

Add 1 can of tomato sauce, 14.5 oz.  Season with basil, oregano, marjoram, ground pepper and 1 tsp. of brown sugar.

Simmer on very low heat while the casserole finishes cooking.

Stir the casserole after 30 minutes and add an additional 1/4 cup milk if it appears dry.  Continue baking for another 30 minutes.  The casserole should be set but moist.

Sprinkle the top with the Gruyere cheese and breadcrumbs. 

Broil on low for 5 minutes or just until the top is nicely browned.  You can prepare up to this point a day ahead.

Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the ribs and seeds.

Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes.

Use tongs to remove the peppers from the water, and set them aside on paper towels to drain and cool. 

Arrange the cooled peppers in a baking dish coated with cooking spray and spoon in the stuffing.

Top with more cheese and breadcrumbs, then bake for 35 minutes at 350°.

Finish under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, just until the tops are browned. 

Remember I said the stuffing can stand alone as a casserole?  For those who don’t care for the peppers you can set aside some stuffing and simply top with cheese and breadcrumbs and finish under the broiler.  It’s delicious!

Serve with marinara sauce as a main course or side.  The peppers freeze well.  Just cool to room temperature and wrap them in foil, then store in freezer safe bags.

Notes ♪♫ I used Aleia’s gluten free Italian breadcrumbs in this recipe.  My favorite gluten free breadcrumbs, I always have them on hand in my pantry.

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Sirloin Tips

Sirloin tips have always been one of my favorite restaurant entrees.  Much to my dismay, many restaurants use soy sauce in their steak marinade, making this meal off limits for those of us with Celiac disease.  Fortunately, it is easy to recreate this great meal at home.  Be sure and check out my homemade, gluten free steak marinade, or use coconut aminos for a lower sodium option.

Dinner for two

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Ingredients:

Preparation:

Combine the steak tips with 2 tbsp. gluten free steak marinade.  Let them marinate for 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature.

While the steak marinates, cook the rice in 2 cups broth, either stovetop or in a rice cooker (here’s mine, it’s perfect for 2 people).  Heat a large nonstick skillet with a little olive oil over medium low.  Add the steak tips.

Brown the meat on both sides, turning once.

It doesn’t have to be cooked through at this point.

Transfer to a bowl, wipe the skillet clean and add the veggies with more olive oil.

Cook several minutes until crisp tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the steak tips back to the skillet to finish cooking.

Finish with 1 tbsp. tamari or coconut aminos, and transfer to a serving platter.  You can combine with the rice at this point or keep the rice separate if you’re watching carbs.

Serve with rice and you have one easy meal!

Notes: ♪♫ Tamari is a delicious, gluten free alternative to soy sauce.  San-J gluten free Tamari is my favorite.  If sodium is a concern, try Coconut Aminos.  Both gluten free and soy free, Coconut Aminos have a much lower sodium content.  Coconut Secret is the brand I use, and it works well in this recipe as well as many of my Asian inspired favorites.

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Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers

It’s been a while since I’ve made these pumpkin inspired stuffed peppers!  I love jambalaya, and while I do make it now and then, this time I went a step further and used it as a stuffing for these beautiful orange bell peppers.  The orange color really speaks to October, autumn and Halloween!

Carving out the cute little jack-o-lantern faces takes some patience!  Are they Pinterest worthy?  Probably not, but you get the idea!  At any rate they were delicious.  If you like comfort food with a spicy New Orleans kick give this one a try!  What a fun way to spend time in the kitchen!

Yield: 6-8 stuffed peppers, depending on size

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Ingredients:

Preparation:

Heat a large pot of salted water for blanching the peppers.

Cook ¾ cups brown rice according to package directions.  I cooked mine in a rice cooker using 1 cup water, one cup chicken broth and ½ tsp. seasoning.

Cut the tops off the peppers, then remove the seeds and ribs.  For a fun fall twist, use a small paring knife to carve out a jack-o-lantern face.  Don’t discard those cutout pieces, chop them up to add to the filling!

Heat a large non-stick skillet and begin browning the sausage.  When cooked through, transfer the sausage to a bowl and leave any remaining fat in the pan to flavor the other ingredients.  Add more olive oil as needed.

Next sprinkle the chicken with seasoning and brown on all sides.  Remove and set aside.

Add the shrimp and cook just until they turn pink.  I diced most of the shrimp but left a couple whole for garnish.  Remove and set aside.

Finally, add the onions, bell pepper and garlic to the skillet with a little more olive oil.  Cook for 2 minutes then push the veggies to the side of the pan and add the tomato paste.  Let the paste cook for a minute, breaking it up with a spatula before stirring it into the veggies.

To finish the jambalaya, whisk in 1 cup of chicken broth then stir in the meat and rice, tossing well to combine.

Blanch the peppers for 3 minutes in boiling water.  Drain well and arrange in a baking dish that has been misted with cooking spray.

Spoon the jambalaya mixture into the peppers and bake for 20 minutes at 350°.  Top peppers off with a whole shrimp.

Notes ♪♫ I made a few stuffed peppers, and there was plenty of the jambalaya left over.  You could make 6 to 8 stuffed peppers from this recipe.  They freeze well too, just wrap in tin foil and freeze in an airtight freezer safe container.

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