Tag Archive for Canola oil

Non-traditional Salisbury Steak

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Non-traditional Salisbury Steak - thesurprisedgourmet.com

Tasty Non-traditional Salisbury Steak using cube steak

What do you do when you want Salisbury Steak but don’t have the right ingredients – you make Non-traditional Salisbury Steak instead.

Most cooks know Salisbury Steak is made from a blend of ground beef and other ingredients you put together. Then you form the mixture into a shape to resemble a steak. If you don’t have ground beef on hand, you use what you have and create a Non-traditional Salisbury Steak. I used cubed steak for my recipe.

Put 1/4 cup flour and 4 tablespoons bread crumbs in a zip lock bag. Sprinkle the cube steak with fresh ground Kosher salt, garlic powder and fresh ground black pepper pushing the seasonings into the meat. Turn the meat over and repeat. Put the steak in the bag and coat well with the flour/bread crumb mixture.

Add enough canola oil to a skillet to coat the bottom of the pan well. Shake off an excess flour mixture and put in the hot skillet to brown on each side. Takes about 60 seconds on each side to brown (the reason it’s called minute steaks). Set aside to drain. Wipe out the excess crumbs in the skillet to keep them from burning.

Mix together 2 tablespoons corn starch, 3/4 cup water and 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce to make a slurry. Set aside.

Non-traditional Salisbury Steak with potatoes - thesuprisedgourmetcom

Delicious Mashed Potatoes and Non-traditional Salisbury Steak, a winning combination

Add 2 tablespoons of canola oil to a medium hot skillet. Put in one white onion (thinly sliced), stir gently and cook until golden brown. Dissolve 1 tablespoon beef base bouillon in 1 cup of hot water. Add beef base to onion and then add the slurry. Cook on low, add the steaks back to the pan making sure to cover them completely with the sauce.

If the gravy is thicker than you want, you can thin it down by adding a little water until you get the desired thickness. Let the steaks simmer for a few minutes to seal in the flavor.

This tasty dish of Non-traditional Salisbury Steak is delicious served with Mashed Potatoes.

Thanks for stopping by today. Do you enjoy Salisbury Steak? Do you have your own version of a Non-traditional Salisbury Steak recipe? If you give my version a try, please be sure to stop back by and let me know how it turned out.

Cucina Felice!

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Non-traditional Salisbury Steak

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Serves: 2 servings

A delicious twist on an old favorite
Ingredients
  • 2 Cubed steaks
  • ¼ Cup flour
  • 4 Tablespoons bread crumbs
  • Fresh ground kosher salt, to taste
  • Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  • Garlic powder, to taste
  • Canola oil
  • 2 Tablespoons corn starch
  • ¾ Cup water
  • 4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 White onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon beef base bouillon
  • 1 Cup hot water
Instructions
  1. Put ¼ cup flour and 4 tablespoons bread crumbs in a zip lock bag. Sprinkle the cube steak with fresh ground Kosher salt, garlic powder and fresh ground black pepper pushing the seasonings into the meat. Turn the meat over and repeat. Put the steak in the bag and coat well with the flour/bread crumb mixture.
  2. Add enough canola oil to a skillet to coat the bottom of the pan well. Shake off an excess flour mixture and put in the hot skillet to brown on each side. Takes about 60 seconds on each side to brown (the reason it's called minute steaks). Set aside to drain. Wipe out the excess crumbs in the skillet to keep them from burning.
  3. Mix together 2 tablespoons corn starch, ¾ cup water and 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce to make a slurry. Set aside.
  4. Add 2 tablespoons of canola oil to a medium hot skillet. Put in one white onion (thinly sliced), stir gently and cook until golden brown. Dissolve 1 tablespoon beef base bouillon in 1 cup of hot water. Add beef base to onion and then add the slurry. Cook on low, add the steaks back to the pan making sure to cover them completely with the sauce.
  5. If the gravy is thicker than you want, you can thin it down by adding a little water until you get the desired thickness. Let the steaks simmer for a few minutes to seal in the flavor.

 

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Steak Fried Chicken and Gravy

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Steak Fried Chicken

Steak Fried Chicken with gravy and a biscuit hits the spot

Fried chicken is a Southern tradition, but I decided to put a spin on this dish by calling it Steak Fried Chicken and Gravy because it looks more like steak than chicken.

When buying chicken, I mainly buy leg quarters. I normally skin and debone the chicken and then freeze it to have on hand when I want chicken later. Our local Piggly Wiggly runs the leg quarters on sale by the 10 pound bag from time to time. It’s always a good deal so I buy extra.

I took out a pack of leg quarters from the freezer the other day just for frying. The quarters had flattened out to very nice pieces of meat. I started by putting 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt, and 1 tablespoon paprika in a plastic Ziploc bag and mixed well. In a shallow bowl, I whisked 1 large egg and 1 cup buttermilk.

Steak Fried Chicken battered - The Surprised Gourmet

Steak Fried Chicken covered in batter, ready to fry

In a deep Lodge cast iron skillet, I added enough Canola oil to make it about 1/2 inch deep in the pan. I took 1 sleeve of whole wheat saltine crackers and crushed them in a bowl for coating. I then sprinkled fresh ground kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and Lawry’s Garlic Salt over the 4 leg quarters.

Place each piece of chicken in the Ziploc bag separately and shake it up. Place the flour-coated chicken on a plate to set. Once all the chicken is set, dip each piece in the buttermilk mixture, let the excess drip off then dredge in the crushed crackers. Pat the chicken into the crackers making sure each piece is completely covered.

Place the chicken in the skillet of hot oil being careful not to splatter yourself with the oil. Let the chicken cook in the hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. You want the chicken to be golden brown. If it comes out dark then your oil is too hot.

Steak Fried Chicken in the skillet - The Surprised Gourmet

Steak Fried Chicken cooking in the Lodge skillet

When the chicken comes out of the skillet, put it in a baking dish and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking.

In a saucepan, combine 3 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder, 4 tablespoons Canola oil, 4 tablespoons flour, 2 cups milk, and 1 tablespoon fresh dried parsley (optional, as this is more for color than flavor). Use a whisk to blend. You may need to add water to obtain the consistency you want in this gravy. Heat over medium heat.

Pour gravy over fried chicken and/or mashed potatoes.

This dish is finger-licklin’ good even if it doesn’t look like fried chicken normally does.

Thanks for stopping by today. Are you a fried chicken fan? Now that you’ve heard of Steak Fried Chicken, have you also heard of Chicken Fried Steak?

Cucina Felice!

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Steak Fried Chicken and Gravy

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Serves: 4 Servings

A delicious twist on the traditional fried chicken recipe
Ingredients
  • 4 Boneless, skinless leg quarters flattened
  • ½ Cup all purpose flour
  • ½ Tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic salt
  • 1 Tablespoon paprika
  • 1 Cup buttermilk
  • 1 Large egg
  • Canola oil
  • 1 Sleeve saltine crackers
  • Fresh ground kosher salt (to taste)
  • Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
  • GRAVY
  • 2 Cups milk
  • 3 Teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
  • 4 Tablespoons Canola oil
  • 4 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh dried parsley (optional)
  • Water (as needed)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Put ½ cup all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic salt, and 1 tablespoon paprika in a plastic Ziploc bag and mix well. In a shallow bowl, whisk 1 large egg and 1 cup buttermilk.
  3. In a deep Lodge cast iron skillet, add enough Canola oil to make it about ½ inch deep in the pan. Take 1 sleeve of whole wheat saltine crackers and crush them in a bowl for coating. Sprinkled fresh ground kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and garlic salt over 4 leg quarters.
  4. Place each piece of chicken in the Ziploc bag separately and shake it up. Place the flour-coated chicken on a plate to set. Once all the chicken is set, dip each piece in the buttermilk mixture, let the excess drip off then dredge in the crushed crackers. Pat the chicken into the crackers making sure each piece is completely covered.
  5. Place the chicken in the skillet of hot oil being careful not to splatter yourself with the oil. Let the chicken cook in the hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. You want the chicken to be golden brown. If it comes out dark then your oil is too hot.
  6. When the chicken comes out of the skillet, put it in a baking dish and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking.
  7. In a saucepan, combine 3 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder, 4 tablespoons Canola oil, 4 tablespoons flour, 2 cups milk, and 1 tablespoon fresh dried parsley (optional, as this is more for color than flavor). Use a whisk to blend. You may need to add water to obtain the consistency you want in this gravy. Heat over medium heat.
  8. Pour gravy over fried chicken and/or mashed potatoes.

 

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Potato Pancake Florentine

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Potato Pancake for breakfast - The Surprised Gourmet

Potato Pancake Florentine is delicious for breakfast or dinner

Lately we seem to be on a food merry-go-around of sorts using the same ingredients everyday, but coming up with different dishes is how I created my Potato Pancake Florentine meal.

One of the main ingredients I tend to use a great deal is spinach. I use it instead of lettuce and find that I’m using it in more and more dishes. It’s one of those foods that we enjoy and besides, it’s good for you.

With my busy work schedule we only get to enjoy breakfast as a family on weekends and then sometimes only on Sundays. Because of this and the fact that it’s a meal we really enjoy, we have a habit of eating breakfast for dinner from time to time.

Deciding to combine breakfast and dinner the other evening I came up with these tasty potato pancakes filled with nutritious julienned  spinach.

It all started with 1 cup of leftover mashed potatoes. This is one dish that is so handy I’m tempted to make extra potatoes when I prepare them just so I’ll have leftovers to use in some other dish.

Potato Pancake - The Surprised Gourmet

A tasty dish the family will enjoy anytime of day

Putting a non-stick skillet on medium high, I gave it a splash (about 1 tablespoon) of Canola oil to make sure it was lightly coated. In a bowl, I slightly beat 2 large eggs, added the mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup plain flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, a pinch of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt, 1/2 cup julienned deli-style ham, 1/3 cup julienned spinach, 5 leaves of basil (julienned), 1/4 cup shredded Mexican Blend cheese, fresh ground black pepper (to taste), and fresh ground kosher salt (to taste). I combined all the ingredients until it was a batter-consistency.

Using 1/3 cup measuring cup, I dropped the mixture into the hot skillet making the pancakes about 6 to 7 inches in diameter. I cooked them about 2 to 3 minutes until they were golden brown and could be flipped over without tearing apart.

Tasty Potato Pancakes - The Surprised Gourmet

Quick and easy Potato Pancake Florentine

In a cast iron skillet I scrambled 1 egg with Kraft Velveeta Sharp Cheddar Cheese for the garnish. On top of that I added 1 tablespoon of julienned ham and a dollop of sour cream with a wedge of a Roma tomato on the side.

Mashed potatoes (or creamed potatoes to some) are always good. I love potatoes just about any way you can prepare them. Are you a mashed potato fan? Have you used them in any other dishes as an ingredient?

Thanks for poppin in. Hope you’ll give this a try. If you do, be sure to stop back by and let me know how it turned out for you or if you post it online tag it with #thesurprisedgourmet.

Cucina Felice!

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Potato Pancake Florentine

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Serves: 4 servings

You can enjoy this delicious Potato Pancake Florentine recipe for dinner or breakfast
Ingredients
  • 1 Cup mashed potatoes
  • 1 Tablespoon Canola oil
  • 2 Large eggs
  • ¼ Cup milk
  • ¼ Cup plain flour
  • ¼ Teaspoon baking powder
  • A pinch of baking soda
  • ½ Teaspoon garlic salt
  • ½ Cup deli-style ham, julienned
  • ⅓ Cup spinach, julienned
  • 5 Leaves of basil, julienned
  • ¼ Cup shredded Mexican Blend cheese
  • Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
  • Fresh ground kosher salt (to taste)
  • GARNISH
  • 1 Large egg
  • 1 Slice Velveeta sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon julienned ham
  • Dollop of sour cream
  • 1 Roma tomato, cut into wedges
Instructions
  1. Put a non-stick skillet on medium high, give it a splash (about 1 tablespoon) of Canola oil to make sure it was lightly coated. In a bowl, slightly beat 2 large eggs, added the mashed potatoes, ¼ cup milk, ¼ cup plain flour, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, a pinch of baking soda, ½ teaspoon garlic salt, ½ cup julienned deli-style ham, ⅓ cup julienned spinach, 5 leaves of basil (julienned), ¼ cup shredded Mexican Blend cheese, fresh ground black pepper (to taste), and fresh ground kosher salt (to taste). Combine all the ingredients until it is a batter-consistency.
  2. Using ⅓ cup measuring cup, drop the mixture into the hot skillet making the pancakes about 6 to 7 inches in diameter. Cook about 2 to 3 minutes until they are golden brown and can be flipped over without tearing apart.
  3. In a cast iron skillet scrambled 1 egg with Kraft Velveeta Sharp Cheddar Cheese for the garnish. On top of that add 1 tablespoon of julienned ham and a dollop of sour cream with a wedge of a Roma tomato on the side.

 

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Everybody Loves Meatloaf

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Slice of Everybody Loves Meatloaf - The Surprised Gourmet

Delicious meatloaf is a family favorite

It’s been a busy weekend so today I’m sharing my recipe for a family favorite, ‘Everybody Loves Meatloaf’.

When making my meatloaf I start by dicing a medium sweet onion (such as a Vidalia) into ¼-inch cubes and sautéing it in a tablespoon of Canola oil. This softens it up a bit before going into the meatloaf. I add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon fresh ground kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper and sauté another minute. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Everybody Loves Meatloaf ready for the oven

Everybody Loves Meatloaf ready for the oven

In a bowl combine the above ingredients with a can (14.5 ounces) of diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 2 large eggs (beaten), 2 ½ cups bread crumbs, 1 pound ground beef, 1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and 1 cup Bull’s Eye Carolina BBQ Sauce (or your favorite brand of BBQ sauce). Make sure to incorporate all the ingredients well.

If you find yourself without a meatloaf pan, try this little trick. Use a pizza pan covered in aluminum foil.

Place meat mixture in a meatloaf pan or mold into loaf shape on the pizza pan. Cover with paprika and bake in preheated oven for one hour. Check meatloaf after an hour’s cook time as oven temperatures vary and your meatloaf may need to cook a bit more.

The wonderful thing about meatloaf recipes is that every family seems to have their favorite. It’s a great recipe to make for a dinner meal and the leftovers make delicious sandwiches the next day.

Thanks for stopping by today. Do you have a tried and true meatloaf recipe that has been handed down in your family for generations? Do you have a meatloaf recipe that you hope will become your family’s dish to carry on for generations? I hope you’ll give this dish a try. If you do, be sure to drop back by and let me know how it turned out or if you post it include the tag #thesurprisedgourmet. I’m always happy to know how the recipe turned out for you.

Cucina Felice!

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Everybody Loves Meatloaf

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Serves: 6-8 servings

This is a family favorite recipe that everyone will enjoy for years to come
Ingredients
  • 1 Medium sweet onion, diced ¼-inch cubes
  • 1 Tablespoon Canola oil
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • ¼ Teaspoon fresh ground kosher salt
  • ¼ Teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 Can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
  • 1 Teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
  • 2 Large eggs, beaten
  • 1 Pound ground beef
  • 2 ½ Cups bread crumbs
  • 1 Cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 Cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Sauté a medium sweet onion (that has been diced into ¼-inch cubes) in a tablespoon of Canola oil. This softens it up a bit before going into the meatloaf. Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon fresh ground kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper and sauté another minute.
  3. In a bowl combine the above ingredients with a can (14.5 ounces) of diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 2 large eggs (beaten), 2 ½ cups bread crumbs, 1 pound ground beef, 1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and 1 cup Bull’s Eye Carolina BBQ Sauce (or your favorite brand of BBQ sauce). Make sure to incorporate all the ingredients well.
  4. If you find yourself without a meatloaf pan, try this little trick. Use a pizza pan covered in aluminum foil.
  5. Place meat mixture in a meatloaf pan or mold into loaf shape on the pizza pan. Cover with paprika and bake in preheated oven for one hour. Check meatloaf after an hour’s cook time as oven temperatures vary and your meatloaf may need to cook a bit more.

 

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Bread Bowl Chicken Salad Soup

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Bread Bowl Chicken Salad Soup - thesurprisedgourmet.com

Bread Bowl Chicken Salad Soup perfect for an evening meal

Cooler temperatures bring to mind comforting soups and Bread Bowl Chicken Salad Soup is a new addition to our list of favorites.

Instead of making a traditional vegetable soup or a soothing chicken noodle soup, I wanted something just a bit different. It wasn’t until the soup was almost done when I decided to add the most unique ingredient – homemade Simply Chicken Salad.

Simply Chicken Salad is a favorite dish at our house and seems to be in the refrigerator every other week. I couldn’t resist adding some to the soup just to see how it would turn out.

I baked the Tuscan Bread Bowl in the oven according to the package instructions. After baking, I cut off the top, scooped out the center and returned it to the oven for the bowl to set.

I chopped and diced all of my ingredients prior to starting the soup so that it would go much smoother and quicker. Using a 2 quart stock pan, I added my ingredients starting with the 2 ½ tablespoons of canola oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Next I added the cup of finely diced carrots, a cup of finely diced celery, 1 ½ cups of corn that I had cut off of the cob, ¼ cup of finely diced onion, and 2 finely diced Roma tomatoes.

The dry ingredients came next: 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 2 tablespoons dried parsley, 1 tablespoon dried basil, 1 tablespoon garlic salt, and 1 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon. Mixing that well I added 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 can English peas, and 3 cups of chicken stock.

Cooking the soup - thesurprisedgourmet.com

The ingredients for Bread Bowl Chicken Salad Soup cooking

The chicken stock I used was frozen as ice cubes and worked great for adding to this soup. Anytime you have leftover chicken stock don’t throw it away, instead freeze it in ice trays. When the stock is frozen, pop it out of the ice trays and put it in freezer bags in your freezer. It’s a handy way to use up your stock and have small amounts when you need it. You can measure how much goes into a cube and then you’ll be able to add just the right amount when needed. My cubes equaled 1 ½ tablespoons each.

When my soup was just about ready, I decided to add in a cup of homemade Simply Chicken Salad. This gave the soup a different texture and even more flavor. I let it cook just a few minutes more to mingle all the flavors together. As I removed it from the heat, I added the final two ingredients – ¾ cup sour cream and 1/3 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese – making sure to incorporate the new ingredients with the soup.

The results was a rich and creamy texture with such aromas you won’t believe. I put a couple of dippers of soup in the bread bowl and started to add another dab of sour cream, but decided against it. The fragrant soup was delicious with the occasional bits of bread coming off the sides of the bread bowl.

This is like most soups that contains vegetables, you can use any combination of vegetables you like. It doesn’t matter what you want, it usually works well in a soup.

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you’ll give this soup a try. If you do, please drop back by and let me know how it went or if you post about it be sure to tag it with #thesurprisedgourmet. I’m always happy to know how the recipes turn out for you.

Cucina Felice!

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Bread Bowl Chicken Salad Soup

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Serves: 4-5 servings

A delectable soup in a bread bowl that makes cool fall evenings warmer.
Ingredients
  • 2 ½ Tablespoons Canola oil
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced (1 cup)
  • 3 ribs of celery, finely diced (1 cup)
  • 2 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut off (1 ½ cups)
  • Half of a sweet onion, finely diced (1/4 cup)
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1 Tablespoon dried Basil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 3 Cups chicken stock
  • 1 Cup homemade chicken salad
  • 1 Can (15 ounce) English peas
  • 1 Teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic salt
  • ¾ Cup sour cream
  • ¼ Cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Place Tuscan Bread Bowl in preheated oven and cook as directed on package. When the bowl is ready, remove it and turn the oven to 550 degrees. Slice off the top of the bread bowl and crave out the center. Place the bowl back in oven at 550 degrees for 5 minutes to set the bowl.
  3. Take 4 quart stock pot, put in 2 ½ tablespoons Canola oil, 1 tablespoon butter and let it come up to medium high. Add 1 cup carrots, 1 cup celery, ¼ cup onion, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon basil, and 1 tablespoon oregano.
  4. Sauté for about 2 minutes, add 1 ½ cups fresh cut corn from the cob, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Next add 1 cup tomatoes, stir well and add 3 cups of chicken stock. Add 1 cup of homemade chicken salad, 1 can (15 ounces) English peas (15 ounces), 1 teaspoon powder chicken bouillon, and 1 tablespoon Lawry’s garlic salt. Let this soup simmer for about 50 minutes all together or longer if you desire.
  5. When it’s taken off the stove add ¾ cup sour cream, ¼ cup shredded cheese and mix well. Ladle soup into bread bowl. You can garnish it with additional sour cream and shredded cheese, if desired.

 

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Tastebuds Love Stuffed Bell Peppers

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Yummy Stuffed Bell Pepper

Stuffed Bell Peppers are delicious and easy to fix

There’s just something about ’em … taste buds love Stuffed Bell Peppers. I’m not sure if it’s their delicious taste, their appearance or just the fact they’re not that complicated to prepare.

Either way, Stuffed Bell Peppers can serve as a side dish or as the main meal. That makes them double handy.

I cut the tops off of 3 bell peppers and removed the excess membrane and ribs.  Be sure to put the bell pepper in a pan of water to parboil before making stuffed peppers otherwise the pepper will still be a bit crisp and not easily cut with a fork. Make sure the peppers are covered by water and boil for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.

Stuffing bell pepper - The Surprised Gourmet

Tasty filling goes into the bell pepper

I took the bell pepper  tops and minced finely. I put my skillet on medium heat, added 2 tablespoons of Canola oil and added ¾ cup minced bell pepper and sauté for 3 minutes. Next I added ¼ cup minced onions and 1 tablespoon dried parsley and sautéed another 2 minutes. Last I added 1 tablespoon minced garlic and sautéed for about 30 seconds more. You have to be sure to keep stirring this so you don’t let it burn, especially when the garlic is added. I turned off heat.

I added 1 can (14.5 ounces, about 1 ½ cups) petit diced tomatoes to the mixture. I didn’t drain the tomatoes because the rice I’ll add soon will absorb the extra liquid. I turned the skillet on to simmer.

Next I added ½ tablespoon of fresh homemade dried oregano (you can use bought dried herbs) and ½ tablespoon of fresh homemade dried basil to the mix. I continued to stir and let the mixture simmer. I added 1 ½ cups of cooked rice (I used instant rice). The rice marries with all the flavors and absorb the liquids. Next I added 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground kosher salt, a ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper and 2 cups cooked ground pork.

The cooked ground pork was 4 leftover cooked boneless pork chops that I sliced and put into the food processor. I used 2 cups of the pork for the stuffing and still had another 2 cups left to use in another dish later.

I continued to stir as the mixture simmered for about 7 to 10 more minutes.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers ready for the oven

Removing the mixture from the stove, I placed it in a large bowl. Even though this is a stuffing mixture I concocted for the stuffed bell peppers, you could stop at this stage (add the cheese, if desired) and eat it as it is. It would go good on a bed of spinach. Just don’t add the eggs if you’re not going to cook it any further.

I added ½ cup Kraft shredded mild cheddar cheese and 2 large eggs (beaten) into the mixture. Once the mixture was blended thoroughly, I spooned it into the bell peppers. There was enough stuffing for 4 large bell peppers. I placed the peppers in casserole dish and baked them for 45 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.

These aromatic Stuffed Bell Peppers are delicious and easy to prepare. The stuffing is moist and flavorful.

Thanks for visiting today. If you decide to try this recipe, be sure to stop back by and let me know how it turned out or if you post it online just tag it with #thesurprisedgourmet. I’d sure like to know how it turned out.

Cucina Felice!

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Stuffed Bell Peppers

Prep time: 

Cook time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 4 servings

Stuffed Bell Peppers make a delicious side dish or a savory main meal.
Ingredients
  • 3 Bell Peppers
  • 2 Tablespoons Canola oil
  • ¾ Cup minced bell pepper
  • ¼ Cup minced onion
  • 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) petit diced tomatoes
  • ½ Tablespoon dried oregano
  • ½ Tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 ½ Cups cooked rice
  • 1 ½ Teaspoons fresh ground kosher salt
  • ¼ Teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 Cups ground pork
  • ½ Cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
  • 2 Large eggs, beaten
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cut tops off the 3 bell peppers and remove the excess membrane and ribs. Put the bell pepper in a pan of water making sure the peppers are covered by water. Boil for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.
  3. Take the tops of the peppers and mince finely. Turn skillet on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of Canola oil. Put in ¾ cup minced bell pepper and sauté for 3 minutes, add ¼ cup minced onions and 1 tablespoon dried parsley sauté another 2 minutes and add 1 tablespoon minced garlic sauté for about 30 seconds more. Be sure to keep stirring this so you don’t let it burn, especially when the garlic is added. Turn off heat.
  4. Add 1 can (14.5 ounces, about 1 ½ cups) petit diced tomatoes to the mixture. Don’t drain the tomatoes. Now turn the skillet on to simmer.
  5. Add ½ tablespoon of dried oregano and ½ tablespoon of dried basil to the mix. Continue to stir and let simmer. Add 1 ½ cup of cooked rice (can use instant, regular or steamed rice). The rice marries with all the flavors and absorbs the liquids. Add 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground kosher salt and a ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper. Add 2 cups cooked ground pork.* Continue to stir as the mixture simmers for about 7 to 10 more minutes. **
  6. Remove mixture from pan, put in large bowl. Add ½ cup Kraft shredded mild cheddar cheese and 2 beaten large eggs into the mixture. Once the mixture is blended thoroughly, spoon into the bell peppers. Should stuff about 4 large bell peppers. Place in casserole dish and bake 45 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven.
  7. *Ground pork can be made from 4 cooked boneless pork chops that have been sliced and put into the food processor. There will be more than 2 cups of the ground pork after placed in the food processor.
  8. **Even though this is a stuffing mixture concocted for the stuffed bell peppers, you could stop at this stage before you add the eggs and eat it as it is. It would go good on a bed of spinach.

 

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