N'Awlins Stuffed Bell Peppers

Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 90 min
Servings: 12
Yield: 12 servings

Description

Momma's Peppers...Whenever my mother prepares this Stuffed Bell Pepper dish, everyone in the family finds an excuse to 'drop by' for a visit to my parents' home. Being a fourth generation native New Orleanian, my mother offers a plate of food to anyone who stops by for a visit...that's why this recipe makes twelve servings!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon file powder
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 pound cooked ham, finely chopped
1 pound baby shrimp
1 (16 ounce) package unseasoned dry bread stuffing mix
6 large green bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 cup plain bread crumbs

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2 Heat oil in a large pot over low heat. Saute onion, celery and chopped green pepper for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Season with parsley, Creole seasoning, file powder, salt and pepper.
3 Increase heat to medium high, and add ground beef. Cook until beef is evenly browned. Stir in ham, and cook for 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in stuffing mix.
4 Stuff each bell pepper half, and lightly sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Place stuffed bell pepper halves in ungreased baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.