Creole Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients

• 6 each green bell peppers – tops cut off and reserved; seeds and membranes removed
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 each yellow onion – finely chopped
• 2 ribs celery – finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 pounds ground beef
• 0.5 pounds ground pork
• 14 ounces tomato sauce (canned)
• 2 tsp Creole seasoning
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 0.5 tsp dried thyme
• 1 each bay leaf
• 2 cups long-grain white rice – cooked
• 0.5 cups green onions – thinly sliced
• 0.5 cups flat-leaf parsley – chopped
• 0.75 cups dry breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter – melted

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Slice the tops off the green bell peppers, remove seeds and membranes, and finely chop the tops; bring a large pot of water to a boil, submerge the pepper shells for 3–4 minutes until slightly tender, then drain cut-side down.
2. Warm the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the yellow onion and celery and cook, stirring, until translucent, 6–8 minutes. Add the reserved chopped tops and the garlic; cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the ground beef and ground pork to the skillet; cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink and lightly browned, 6–8 minutes. Spoon off excess fat if needed.
4. Stir in the tomato sauce (reserve 0.5 cup for topping), Creole seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, dried thyme, and the bay leaf; bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, then discard the bay leaf.
5. Fold in the long-grain white rice and the green onions; take off the heat and stir in the flat-leaf parsley, reserving 2 tbsp for serving. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
6. In a small bowl, mix the dry breadcrumbs with the unsalted butter until evenly moistened to make the topping.
7. Set the drained pepper shells upright in a 9×13-inch baking dish; pack with the meat-and-rice mixture, spoon the reserved sauce over the filling, and cover each with the topping.
8. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake 20 minutes; uncover and bake until the topping is golden, the shells are tender when pierced, and the filling is hot, 15–20 minutes.
9. Rest 5 minutes, sprinkle the reserved portion on top, and serve hot.