Stuffed Pepper Skillet

Name: Stuffed Pepper Skillet
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 lb ground beef, 90% lean; 1 cup onions, sweet yellow, diced; 1 tsp garlic cloves, minced; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 cup red bell peppers, diced; ½ cup green bell peppers, diced; 15 oz canned tomatoes, fire-roasted and diced, with their juice; 1 cup basmati rice, long grain white, such as jasmine; 2½ cup beef stock, low sodium; 2 tsp worcestershire sauce; 3 tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped, divided; 2 tsp italian seasoning; ½ tsp smoked paprika; ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp black peppercorns, freshly ground; 1 cup pepper jack, shredded; ½ cup cheddar, sharp, shredded

The beef sears on its own in a hot pan before the onion and garlic join it — put all three in at once and the vegetables give up enough water to steam the meat grey instead. Everything after that cooks in the one skillet, rice included.

5 min hands on30 min start to finishweeknight

Stuffed pepper skillet in a shallow cream bowl — browned ground beef and rice in a tomatoey sauce, shot through with softened strips of sweet pepper and pieces of tomato, under a heavy grind of black pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add the ground beef on its own and leave it undisturbed long enough to take color on the underside before you start breaking it up. This is the step that does the most for the finished dish and the easiest one to skip.

Drop the heat to medium, then add the onion and garlic. Cook, breaking the beef up with a spoon, until the meat is cooked through and crumbled and the onion has softened. Going in after the sear rather than alongside it is deliberate — the onion gives up water, and water in the pan holds the temperature at the point where meat steams rather than browns.

Drain the excess fat and return the skillet to the heat. Stir the tomato paste through the beef until it coats the meat and darkens a shade.

Add the red and green bell pepper, the tomatoes and their juice, the rice, the stock, the Worcestershire, two-thirds of the parsley, the Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring it up to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the rice is tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Leave the lid alone while it goes — the liquid is measured for a covered pan, and steam that escapes is liquid the rice doesn't get.

Stir the mixture to fluff the rice. Scatter the pepper jack and cheddar over the top, cover again, and cook over low just until the cheese melts. Scatter the remaining parsley over and serve.

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Source Adapted from Valerie Brunmeier, Valerie's Kitchen