Today, we are going to show you how to stuff your meat inside a bell pepper's cavity.

Hmmm, wait, phrasing.

Today, we are going to cook Italian-sausage stuffed bell peppers. But first, Jon is out for the day (I definitely do not have him tied up in the shed for how many typos he was making). Which means that I am running the show today!

My name is Alan, and I like to party

In our efforts to increase content for you, the loyal reader, we encountered a limit on Jon's productive ability. To amend that, every so often, I will be writing a post. Or, at the very least, tell Jon I am going to, and then bail out at the very last minute and force him to work overtime (Sorry Jon).

On the plus side, it means I get to act as the editor for these posts! HAHA! YOUR SHED COULD NOT HOLD ME.

Back to the recipe at hand!

Stuffed bell peppers hold a special place in my heart. The idea of stuffing one kind of food with another kind of food to make a kind of Super-Food makes my heart quiver. Think about it: Ravioli? Stuffed crust pizza? PIE?? You just can't go wrong. As such, I have made this recipe dozens of times and it is always delicious. For this particular recipe we are going to be using a mix of Italian Sausage and rice along with some other seasonings and vegetables

I tried four other arrangements of food to show all the ingredients. I might have a problem.

In my experience, the instant you start taking food photography, you start having a problem.

First thing you are going to want to do is cut off the tops of the bell peppers, and remove the seeds and membranes from the sides. But what to do with the tops? Waste not, want not, I say.

Before and after shots

Okay, so you got your peppers chopped, but don't put down that knife yet! Chop up those onions too. They will make you cry, but the crying will make you stronger. Just keep telling yourself that. Throw the onions, bell peppers bits, and Italian sausage in a large skillet and brown until the Italian sausage has crumbled as small as they can get. Once done, throw two cans of tomato sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, 2 cups pre-cooked rice, and water to make the stuffing as soupy as you want.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BELL PEPPERS?

Glad you ask. As the meat stuffing is simmering on the stove, bring the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a large pot filled with water to boil and throw the little suckers in there.

Push them down! Don't look them in the eyes as they boil alive!

Alan, those are stickers, not eyes.

After boiling for 15 min, remove them with tongs, (remember to peel the grocery store stickers off of the sides), and put the bell peppers in a tinfoil-lined baking dish. Now, that stuffing that as been simmering off to the side? Take it and fill those peppers UP! To the brim!

We are like taxidermists, but instead of cotton stuffing, it's meat!

I think they use plastic foam now. ...Why do I know that?

I only have three shown above but that's just because I only make three at a time. This recipe makes about 7-8 bell peppers worth of stuffing, so you can make another meal tomorrow, or double down now. Throw these in the oven and let them cook for around 30 min. I like to have the top slightly charred.

LO AND BEHOLD, STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Thanks for reading my first submission to Kitchen Catastrophe. If you like what we are doing on here, please share and like us on facebook, or follow us on twitter.

NEXT TIME: JON'S BACK, WITH A BELATED MOTHER'S DAY TREAT. FRENCH SAUCES!

RECIPE

Ingredients

6 large bell peppers
1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tbs chili powder
1 tbs garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups cooked rice (you don't need to use all of it)

Directions

Precook rice before hand
Slice tops off of green peppers; remove seeds and membranes, and rinse well. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add peppers and cook for 15 minutes. Chop 3 bell pepper crowns into pieces.
Put sausage, onions, and bell peppers into skillet and cook over medium heat until sausage is brown and fully crumbled.
Add tomato sauce, water, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper; bring to low boil and then simmer for 30 min.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
After simmering for 30 min, add 2-3 cups of rice to the mixture. The rice will absorb the moisture, so add until satisfied.
Fill bell peppers with stuffing and then place in tinfoil lined backing pan and bake for 30 min.