Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers
Recipe Courtesy Ellie Krieger, 2006

Add toasted pine nuts for an extra level of flavor. This is an excellent recipe; the zucchini and bulgar make for a very light filling. I really like the bulgur as a change from rice. There are many way you could change it up.

FMM Suggested modifications: Clean, cut and cook the peppers in a 300 degrees F. oven, long enough to soften them a bit, about 25 minutes. Reviewers said they had to cook the raw stuffed peppers 1 hr and 20 min because the peppers were not softening. Many reviewers said they added the feta to the bulghur mixture instead of on top, and I was also thinking this would give them more flavor. We added the cheese both to the filling and on top and it worked well. The cheese on top does not melt. One complaint was not enough flavor. Besides the oregano, which I would increase to 1 tsp., I would add 1 tsp. parsley, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon to give it more of a Greek flavor. We did not add the zucchini the second time we made them. We did add pine nuts, but it seemed like something was missing. I was thinking some black beans would be a nice addition, but now we are getting away from the Greek-style although zucchini does not seem all that Greek either. Maybe I will revise the recipe and give it a different name. I would try these again with the zucchini, maybe just 1 cup instead of 2.

1 pound lean ground beef
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated (about 2 cups [try 1 cup])
1 small onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup bulghur
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano [increase to 1 tsp.]
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
[May add to filling: toasted pine nuts, feta cheese, 1 tsp. parsley, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon]
3 red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, cores and ribs removed
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans low-sodium stewed tomatoes, finely chopped
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine the beef, spinach, zucchini, onion, bulghur, egg, oregano, salt and a few grinds of pepper. [Add toasted pine nuts, feta cheese, parsley, and cinnamon, if desired]. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Arrange the pepper halves cut side up in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and fill each pepper half with the meat mixture. Pour the tomatoes over the peppers and sprinkle with the feta cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the meat mixture is completely cooked and the peppers are tender, about 25 minutes longer.

6 servings