Mixed bell peppers by Adamophoto. freerangestock.com
I love finding ways to reduce waste and, accordingly, to turn letovers into new, yummy concoctions. Recently I had some Greek pilaf rice leftover from a Greek dinner I prepared for a friend and myself. Then inspiriation hit: Stuffed Bell Peppers!
Though the pilaf was lemon-chicken flavored, it mixed well with some browned ground turkey and tomato sauce. I cleaned four giant red and green bell peppers from a local fresh fruit & veg stand. I then cut off the tops in such a way there was room to stuff them, as well. I cored/seeded the peppers (tops, too) and then proceeded to stuff them with the cooked rice mix.
Once the tops were stuffed, I carefully placed them on top of the stuffed peppers. I placed them all in a shallow baking dish with about an inch or so of water. I baked them for about an hour and a half at 350 degrees. I know that seems a little longer than the usual cooking time, but these were GIANT peppers! They were still very raw in places at the hour mark.
You can tell they are done when you can poke them with a fork at the thickest part and it slides right in. The peppers may darken or look a little browned/burned in spots, but that is ok. It adds a great smoky flavor without the burned crunch/dryness.
The end result of my experiment was a tasy, keeper-recipe and gave new life to the leftover rice.
You can also stuff bell peppers with leftover meatloaf or other leftover rice dishes. Some people like to add cheese to their stuffed bell peppers.
What creative things do you do with your leftovers?
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