Stuffed Peppers

I've always wanted to make stuffed peppers, but just never found the time or the right recipe. That all changed last weekend when I got a great deal on bell peppers and knew I needed to find a good recipe for them.

Giada's Orzo Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes
• 2 zucchini, grated
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup grated cheese, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups orzo
• 6 sweet bell peppers (red or yellow)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

• Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and break apart (or use diced tomatoes). Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

• Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium pan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo should be only partially cooked. Use a fine mesh sieve to transfer the orzo to the large bowl with the other vegetables. Stir the orzo into the vegetable mix to combine. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish.

• Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.

• Place the peppers in the dish with the warm chicken broth. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of each pepper with cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully transfer the orzo stuffed pepper to a serving plate.

Notes: I also added a little bit of bacon to the stuffing. Even with that addition these were just a little bit bland. Also, they didn't keep very well. We ate them for lunch the next day but the peppers were overly soft and not that great. I want to make stuffed peppers again but I'll probably look for a different recipe. These were good, but not great.