Seven-Spice Unstuffed Peppers
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 356
- Total Fat
- 22
- Saturated Fat
- 7
- Carbohydrates
- 24
- Dietary Fiber
- 3
- Sugar
- 6
- Protein
- 17
- Cholesterol
- 55
- Sodium
- 559
- Total: 50 min
- Active: 20 min
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green bell peppers, chopped (see Cook's Note)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons seven-spice blend
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup long-grain rice
One 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, for serving (see Cook's Note)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Yogurt, for serving, optional
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef, garlic, green peppers and onions and cook, stirring, until the beef is browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, seven-spice blend, dried mint, salt and pepper and saute until well combined and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the rice, crushed tomatoes and 1 cup water and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, 20 minutes. Remove from the heat but keep covered for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork to separate.
- Serve in bowls garnished with the pine nuts and parsley with a dollop of yogurt, if desired.
Cook’s Note
Use whatever color peppers you like in this recipe. I like to use green, which is more traditional, but you can use a mix of red and orange for a sweeter flavor. You can even use sweet mini peppers. You can buy toasted pine nuts or use raw pine nuts and toast them. It helps to toast the pine nuts first in the pot you’ll use for cooking the ground beef. This minimizes the pots you’ll use and lends a nutty flavor from the pine nuts to the ground beef.