N'Awlins Stuffed Bell Peppers

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 ½ pounds ground beef

• ¾ 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 the oven to 325°F (165°C).

2. Heat oil in a large pot over low heat. Add chopped onion, celery, and green bell pepper; sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with parsley, Creole seasoning, file powder, salt, and pepper.

3. Raise heat to medium-high and add the ground beef. Cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Mix in the ham and cook for 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the stuffing mix.

4. Stuff each bell pepper half with the filling and sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs. Arrange stuffed peppers in a greased baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

Tips:

Since the stuffing is pre-cooked, you can cut the baking time in half (around 30 to 35 minutes) by briefly blanching the bell peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes before stuffing them.

Nutritional Information (per serving)