Hello friends! what an appealing name for a dish, right? This is an adult take on another dish that my mother used to make quite frequently for us (the kids). It’s basically a loaf made out of the stuffing that was left over from stuffed peppers. You can bake it in hollowed out veggies of almost any variety OR in either a cupcake pan ( I have a lovely silicone heart shaped pan that is my personal favorite) OR you can make it in a bundt pan or casserole dish.
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups uncooked brown or wild rice
- 1/2 lb any ground or chopped meat (ground turkey is my favorite but I will use what ever I have)
- One 16 oz package of rinsed baby spinach (or one thawed frozen block)
- 2 stalks celery, washed and chopped thin
- 1 small white onion diced
- 1 clove garlic chopped or pressed
- 1-2 eggs
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp Italian seasonings
- salt and pepper to taste
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- Preheat oven to 350, or if stuffing peppers ready a pot large enough to tightly (but not too tightly) fit all of the peppers while allowing them to be covered with a lid.
- Cook the rice according to package directions, for extra flavor you can add a few bouillon cubes but it is not necessary. If you are using wild rice in a one setting rice cooker let it run for 2 cycles.
- pre-cook the onions, garlic and celery in a bit of water for about 15 minutes or until soft, add the spinach for another 3-4 minutes or until wilted.
- Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
- Lightly coat the pans you are using in spray oil (not for peppers) and then fill with the mixture. Baking time will vary for each pan, cupcakes take about 20 minutes, bundt and casserole between 30-45 minutes. It is done when the meat you used looks cooked and the loaf holds together firmly.
- For stuffed peppers-Remove the lids and seeds, wash thoroughly and fill with the lint loaf mixture. Place the filled peppers standing up in the pot with 1-2 inches of water. Bring water to a boil and let simmer covered on medium heat for about 30 minutes. Do not let them cook dry, check occasionally to make sure there is still water in the pot. I usually just cut one open after 30 minutes to see if they are cooked all the way through. For other stuffed vegetables I recommend that you bake them on a lightly greased baking sheet for 25-35 minutes.
Serve with a bit of tomato sauce and some parmasean cheese. I promise you will love it!
