Tonight, I decided to take what I liked about them and make my own recipe. I bring to you, Pizza Stuffed Peppers!
Pizza Stuffed Peppers
4 bell peppers – red, green, yellow or orange
1 25 oz jar spaghetti or pizza sauce
½ pound deli sliced pepperoni
½ pound orzo pasta
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp each black pepper, basil, parsley and oregano
½ tsp salt
Pre-heat oven to 350°
Prepare the peppers to your desired serving style – cut top off and seed or cut in half and seed. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the peppers for 3 minutes. Remove and drain well. I cut mine in half, to allow for more portion control. Plus, you aren't then limited to one color of pepper!
Add pasta to water, boil for 7 minutes. Drain well.
In non-stick pan, cook pepperoni over medium heat. Cook to varied degrees of doneness – some slightly cooked and others crispy. You'll see I have some barely cooked and others really crispy! Rough chop the pepperoni.
In large bowl, combine orzo, pepperoni, seasonings, onions and garlic. Add ½ - ¾ jar of pasta until it’s moist, but not soupy.
Using a small spoon, stuff peppers with filling.
Top w/ a tablespoon of leftover sauce and a piece or two of pepperoni.
Bake for 1 hour.
I have to say, Philip was not a fan of the pre-cooked pepperoni, but I loved it. Plus, it rendered out a lot of fat that would have been sitting in the bottom of the pan. Gross.
You could add your other favorite pizza type toppings, too! I actually snuck in a jalapeno, chopped fine. It was great!
