This recipe includes veggies, protein and grains so that it can be a stand-alone meal, or you can serve it with sides such as a leafy green salad, quinoa salad etc. The protein in this recipe can be easily changed to your preference, whether it’s chicken, pork or tofu. This wholesome dish is a staple must-have for a healthy Halloween themed dinner and great for meal prepping too!
Ingredients
- 4 Orange Bell Peppers
- 2 medium Onion
- 2 500ml Canned Tomatoes
- 1 lb. Ground Beef
- 3 cups of cooked Wild Rice
- 3 Tbs Olive Oil
- 2 Tsp Salt divided
- 1 Tsp Black Pepper
- ½ Tsp Chili Flakes
- ½ Tsp Paprika
- Aged Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Cook Wild Rice first as it takes approximately 50-60 mins depending on the method. (See below for how to cook wild rice on the stovetop or in a rice cooker.)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut off the tops of the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Place the bell peppers upside down in a large baking dish.
- Fill the baking dish with 1/2 inch of water, cover completely with foil and bake for 20 minutes to soften the bell peppers or until slightly tender. This ensures that the bell peppers are soft and tender at the end and reduces drying out the filling.
- As the bell peppers are baking, in a medium non-stick pan over medium-high heat brown the ground beef. Add olive oil, chopped onions and cook thoroughly, approximately 8- 10 minutes.
- Add salt, pepper, chilli powder, paprika and chilli flakes. Stir until well-seasoned.
- Lower heat to medium and add tomatoes, leaving aside some tomato sauce for later, stirring with a wooden spoon to mix the sauce evenly for approximately 2 minutes.
- Mix in the cooked wild rice slowly and combine well. Reduce heat to low medium. Stirring occasionally for about 5-7 minutes.
- Once the bell peppers are tender, remove the baking dish from the oven carefully as it is hot and drain the water.
- Place bell peppers in a large bowl of ice water before handling to carve out the jack-o-lantern face.
- Have fun carving out different faces on each bell pepper! Make sure there isn’t a large opening for the filling to fall out (unless that is intentional with the jack-o-lantern’s face)
- Stuff the bell peppers with the wild rice filling, making sure to mound slightly. Place in the same baking dish right side up. Repeat for the remaining 3 bell peppers.
- Coat the top of the rice filling with the rest of the tomato sauce. Sprinkle desire amount of cheese on top.
- Cover with foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes to cook the bell pepper and to enhance the rice filling or until the cheese is melted and the peppers are soft.
- Remove from the oven, place stuffed peppers in a shallow dish and place the bell pepper top on the cheese. Serve warm!
Wild Rice stovetop method
1 cup of Wild Rice to 2 cups of water. Bring a pot of water (just over 6 cups of water) to a boil over high heat with a lid. While the water is boiling in a medium sifter, rinse the wild rice until the water runs clear. This step is important as the wild rice is coated in starches that will make the cooked wild rice extremely sticky. Once the wild rice is clear, pour into the pot of boiling water turn the heat down to medium-low. Add a bit of olive oil and salt to season and prevent sticking to the pot. Stir until everything is mixed. Place lid on the pot for the duration of cooking time. Cook for 50-60 minutes. Once cooked, leave the lid on for 10-15minutes to rest before fluffing with a fork.
Wild Rice rice cooker method
1 cup of Wild Rice to 2 cups of water. In a medium-large bowl, add wild rice and water. Using your hand, massage/stir the wild rice to remove the starches. Drain, rinse, then repeat until the water in the bowl is clear. Add 6 cups of water into the bowl of wild rice and set aside. Coat the rice cooker bowl with olive oil. Add the bowl of wild rice and water into the rice cooker. Add salt and stir to mix. Close the lid and turn on the rice cooker. Once the rice cooker is done, rest for 10-15 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
