Meatball-Stuffed Peppers with Spinach and Garlic

Here is the link to the recipe!

The very first thing I did for this recipe was make the homemade tomato sauce.  I added 2 TBS of EVOO and 2 sliced cloves of garlic to a saucepan and let them cook for a couple of minutes. 

Then, I added 1 large can of San Marzano tomatoes, a 14oz can of diced tomatoes, a half of an onion, a bay leaf, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.  I broke up the tomatoes with a potato masher and  let the sauce simmer and thicken for about 30 minutes.

Next, I prepared the peppers.  The recipe called for 4 large red bell peppers.  Well, I had one.  To keep from spending an outrageous amount on bell peppers just because they were red, I got some small green ones out of the freezer from last years gardening season. :-) I drizzled them with EVOO, salt, and pepper, and roasted them in the oven for 20 minutes.

While the sauce and peppers were cooking, I took 4 slices of bread and cut the crusts off and soaked them in milk.

This recipe called for ground veal or lamb, which is outrageously expensive.  So, I just used good ole ground beef instead.  I browned 1 lb of ground beef with 4 cloves of minced garlic.  This gave the beef a completely different aroma than it usually does.

Once the meat was browned, I let it drain and cool. I wrung out the bread and crumbled it into crumbles.  I added the bread to the ground beef, along with 2 slightly beaten eggs, a box of frozen spinach (thawed and drained), salt, pepper, 1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and a cup of the tomato sauce.

I mixed thoroughly and filled the peppers with the mixture (I had to add another small pepper to the mixture).  Lastly, I poured the remainder of the tomato sauce around and over the tomatoes and sprinkled with a little more cheese.  These baked in the oven for 20 more minutes.

Then we plated and ate!

This recipe was delicious!  Darren and I both gave it an A.  Darren said "I hate spinach, but I love this!" However, I had to wash 2 large loads of dishes when I was done.  I would probably just make it easier by using a can of diced tomatoes with the spices already in it and a can of tomato sauce instead of making my own sauce.  I could also spread this recipe out a lot by adding more beef and using up a lot of those bell peppers in the freezer! I would definitely recommend this recipe because it was great tasting and is a good way to get my husband to eat more vegetable! :-)